A Slight Detour
by Unknown Crow
Summary: Following a botched mission she doesn't remember, Summer Rose finds herself in another world, encountering strange creatures and stranger people.
1. Chapter 1

It was raining in Mistral.

"So," Qrow said, looking between the young girl with two-toned hair and his former team leader. "I don't know how you're not dead."

"It's actually a really funny story," Summer said from underneath the umbrella. At a nudge from the short girl, Summer added, "This is Neo, by the way."

"And the first thing you want to do is get breakfast," Qrow said. "Typical."

"How about this," Summer said. "We get breakfast. I tell you all about what happened. Then, you listen. And that way, I don't have to sit in some boring place relaying this story to you. We both win!"

* * *

The small diner was at the heart of town. It wasn't quite done up like the restaurants in Vale, and it still held onto Mistralian roots, but it felt like neither and both at once. It was early enough that it hadn't yet become too busy. A small plaque said to "please seat yourself" and so Neo and Summer happily obliged, sitting at a booth in the corner.

"I haven't had a proper breakfast in a while," Qrow grumbled, sliding in across from her. He picked up the menu.

The waitress slid up. "May I take your order?"

"The, uh, Valean Omelette," Qrow said. "Extra peppers and a coffee."

"I'll take a, hmm, one of these _deeeeluxe_ waffle platters," Summer said. "With coffee and an extra side of bacon, if you don't mind. Neo, the Atlesian Toast?" At Neo's nod, Summer nodded to the waitress. "And two orange juices."

The waitress finished writing out their order. She gave a quick thumbs up and stepped away.

"So given where you were drinking...I assume you're looking for your sister?"

"Something like that," Qrow said, looking down for a second.. "How are you so chipper in the morning?"

"It's a special sort of magic," Summer said. "Now, as to the specifics. You're likely wondering how I'm alive. You're probably also wondering who this girl is, and you're also wondering why I've been missing for what is probably a long time. Well, it all begins on that day long ago."

* * *

The Patch docks were nearly empty. A small ferry waited at the end of the dock for its regular trip into Vale.

"It's just a normal mission," Summer said. "And this time I mean it. It'll be a couple weeks at worst. I'll be out of CCT range for the first couple days, but I'll check in at the village. There's a copy of the mission route on my desk, you know the drill."

"I'm not worried," Taiyang grumbled. "I'd just rather you told me further in advance."

Summer poked Taiyang in the shoulder. "I can tell when you're worried, you know. It's my Semblance."

"Very funny," Taiyang grumbled.

Summer kissed him on the lips. "It's just a couple of weeks."

"Love you."

Summer smiled. "Love you too."

* * *

"Matter of fact, that's my last memory," Summer said, sipping her cup of coffee. She frowned at it and poured a bit more cream in. "I don't remember any bit of the mission. Something about, uh, the Realm of Darkness erodes your memory."

At that moment, the waitress came back with three plates, piled high with food.

Qrow quirked an eyebrow. "Realm of Darkness?"

"It's a bit complicated," Summer said. "We're in what they call the Realm of Light now. There's a bit more, but we need to talk about, ah, other worlds."

Qrow gave a sharp bark of a laugh. He cut a chunk out of his omelette, put it in his mouth, chewed for a long moment, and swallowed. "I don't know how to respond to that."

"I understand." Summer sighed, reaching for the syrup. She poured it generously over her waffles until it created a small pool on her plate. She passed it to Neo, who did the same to her toast. "Every world's got its own troubles, and for the most part, people who know about other worlds really don't interfere. It's when something goes beyond _one_ world..." She splayed her hands out.

Qrow grimaced. "What sort of threat are we looking at?"

"They call them the Heartless," Summer said. "In a way, they're like the Grimm — they're creatures, made of the darkness in people's hearts. Up until last year, they were spreading through the Realm of Light." Summer grimaced. "Despite everything, they're still out there. Ah, where was I?"

"The Realm of Darkness," Qrow supplied.

"That's my next memory," Summer said. "But that's misleading. My memories of that place are scattered. Time doesn't operate there. I couldn't tell you exactly how long I was there. You don't need to eat, or sleep. And before you ask, no, I don't understand how it works."

"Neat," Qrow growled between bites.

Summer leaned back and looked down. "The Realm of Darkness is like being buried alive. No, it's like being tossed into a well. There's something about it where, well, your mind begins to work against itself. You're alone there with nothing but your thoughts. After a while, what you think begins to color the world around you." Summer looked far away. "And not always in a figurative way, either."

Qrow sipped his own coffee. "So how did you escape?"

"It was luck," Summer said. "I happened to be at the right place at the right time, and I happened to have just the thing to escape."

* * *

She was in a desert, littered with massive rocks. It was about as bright as a moonlit night. Summer frowned. There was something amiss in the air. Those creatures were moving away from her.

No, they were moving _toward_ something.

She drew her sword and ran through the rocks. She leapt over a ridge to find a long stretch of beach, and more importantly, dozens of the creatures surrounding a girl with two-toned hair holding what looked like a parasol. Instantly, Summer crushed one with an overhead swing. It gave a sickening crunch and she moved on, smashing two aside with a horizontal slash.

The girl leapt in, pulling a thin sword from the handle of her parasol and skewering one of them.

"That's the way," Summer growled, smirking.

Unfortunately —

— the creatures did not stop coming.

The pair found themselves with the beach at their back. In an instant, a group of them leapt forward, pouncing at the girl. Summer jumped towards them, tearing the creatures away from the girl. As she did so, the creatures swarmed her, pinning her to the ground.

Summer yelled. She didn't know the exact composition of rage and agony.

The beach was flooded immediately in light. The creatures disintegrated like rapidly burning film.

Summer shakily stood and threw up all over the sand. She stumbled a few steps away and fell back down. The girl approached, shambling slightly. She offered her hand.

Summer looked up at the girl and nodded, taking her hand. She rose to her feet and walked over to grab her sword.

That was when she saw the tear. It was a couple meters offshore, and it looked like someone had taken a dull knife to a curtain and tore open a hole. It shone with a brilliant light.

She looked back at the girl. "Are you seeing this?" The girl nodded. Summer turned back to the tear. She hesitantly approached. From behind she heard the girl following slightly.

Summer peeked around it. It seemed to be completely flat, and looking at it from behind revealed nothing amiss.

Summer looked at the girl again. "Do we go through?" At the girl's nod, Summer offered her hand.

They leapt through the tear together.

After what felt like an eternity of nothing, Summer realized she was falling toward a plaza of red brick.

Summer's eyes widened and she instinctively brought the girl close before taking out her sidearm. It was a curious revolver, bulky and long with a dark wooden grip and two triggers. Summer narrowed her eyes and aimed straight for the ground, her finger extending out to the second trigger and pulling it back.

A deafening explosion cut through the air; Summer's descent slowed immensely.

That was not to say it was terribly slow.

She landed roughly on the ground, her body serving to cushion the girl's own landing. Summer groaned in pain.

The girl gingerly got up and dusted herself off.

Summer stood up and stumbled over to an open air cafe. She slid a metal chair across the brick and sat down. The girl followed her over and sat next to her.

Summer slid her Scroll out of a pocket, flicking it open to her status screen. "Just as I suspected," Summer sighed, looking at her Aura. "Almost out." To her surprise, the girl pulled her own Scroll out and did the same.

Summer leaned in. "Who are you?"

The girl looked up, quickly opening up a simple note taking application that Summer didn't recognize. She typed out a bit before flipping her Scroll around so Summer could read it.

My name is Neo. I can't speak, but I can hear just fine.

"Interesting name," Summer said. "I'm Summer Rose, I'm a Huntress."

Neo gave a thumbs up.

Summer looked around. "Where are we, anyway?"

Neo shrugged, pointing at a nearby store whose lights were still on.

"Locals," Summer said, nodding. "Just give me a second." She shakily rose to her feet, walking across the lamp-lit plaza and up a set of brick stairs before shoving open the door.

It looked initially like a jeweler, with a handful of cases around the room displaying baubles and bracelets, but a couple of well-armored bangles had Summer reconsider exactly what the store was. Behind the counter was a gruff blonde with a pair of goggles wrapped around his head, and standing in front of the counter was a dark-haired man in leather, a massive sword with a handle in the shape of a gun resting against the counter next to him.

"Something's happening," the dark-haired man said as Summer entered. "The Heartless are growing restless. And that visitor from the other day..."

"Leon," the man behind the counter said, smacking his opposite number's arm. "Sit down and drink some goddamn tea, I've got customers." He paused, turning to Summer and Neo and straightening his back. "Welcome to the Accessory Shop, we have all manner of accessories to suit your every needs, my name is Cid, what can I do for you today?"

"You've been practicing that," Leon said, using a small kettle in the corner of the store to brew a cup of tea. He sat on one of the long couches.

Cid looked from Leon over to Summer. "I didn't rush it, did I?"

"A tad," Summer said. "Uh, I'm actually here because I'm not exactly sure where I am!"

Leon looked over at Cid, eyebrows raised. Cid gave him the finger and then turned back to Summer. "This here is Traverse Town. It's sort of a...lost world, made up of all the people whose worlds have been lost over the years."

"And it keeps getting bigger," Leon chimed in.

"That's Leon," Cid grumbled. "He does the legwork in fighting the Heartless here in the First District. Yuffie, who you'll no doubt run into, handles the Second District. And in the Third District, uh..."

"Cloud's not there any more, and his replacement twisted his ankle. But the Heartless problem over there isn't so bad, Merlin usually handles it. Yuffie and I pitch in as well, of course," Leon said.

"So," Summer said. " _Other_ worlds?"

* * *

Summer pushed away her clean plate. "They put me up in a hotel room. Nice place, better than some of the others I've stayed at. I spent three days in Traverse Town. On the second day, there was a new kid in town. His name was Sora. He was from the Destiny Islands, and he had two friends that had gone missing after his home has succumbed to the Heartless."

"This better not be leading up to his tragic demise," Qrow grumbled.

"As a matter of fact, no," Summer said. "He was wielding something. An unusual sword, blade about a meter, give or take. Magical, too. Shaped like a giant key."

"A sword shaped like a key," Qrow said, sighing.

"A _Keyblade,"_ Summer continued. "Rather strange weapon. I held it, just once. Read a lot about it when I got to Hollow Bastion — I'll explain what that is in a bit — and it is a dangerous piece of work. Lots of stories out there. It's either a great savior or a fearsome opponent who wields it."

"And this kid just happens to have one," Qrow said.

"The Heartless don't like the Keyblade." Summer polished off her coffee and leaned back. "They went after this kid relentlessly. He'd just stumbled across a pair of royal retainers to a distant king who had been looking for a Keyblade to set things right." She looked distant for a moment.

Qrow quirked an eyebrow. "And then?"

"The armor," Summer said plainly.

* * *

Summer was running, sprinting, clambering over rooftops and leaping over thin alleys.

Her rifle was reloaded, five shots at the ready. Her revolver was just about loaded, central chamber packed with her last charge of Fire Dust. As she ran, she loaded the three final shots into her revolver.

She slammed through a window and ran through an empty apartment, nearly dislodging the balcony door.

It was a thin wooden balcony overlooking the Third District. Summer could see the Heartless that Leon had mentioned: a massive empty set of armor, attacking the kid and his newfound friends.

The fall wouldn't be too bad, she surmised.

Summer leapt, her body twisting around to bring her rifle to bear on the armor. She landed two shots, missed the third, began to convert it to sword form, and landed.

She rose from her landing stance, moving into defensive.

The armor had stopped, its arms flipping about aimlessly in the air. She slowly positioned herself to be between the kid and the armor.

It began to walk toward her, its massive boots shaking the pavement.

Summer slashed at the giant suit of armor and it rebuffed her attack. She stepped back, drawing her revolver and peppering the front of it. It ceased moving, choosing to block its chest with arms in an "X".

This was genuine armor. She'd dealt with armor.

Vytal Festival semi-finals, senior year. Break the armor, expose the insides.

She holstered her revolver on the back of her belt. Her sword expanded out into a rifle, her off hand catching the front end and stabilizing it, and she fired, cycling the bolt and firing two more times. The higher caliber rounds caused larger dents, but no penetration.

Summer ran to the right, the armor's helmet tracking her before the rest of the armor swung around to face her. It lumbered forward toward her. She grabbed a fresh clip from her pouch and slid it into place, sliding the bolt forward and loading the first round.

She began to fire again, retreating slightly after each shot. The armor walked steadily toward her. After three shots, she was up against the wall. She reached back with her off hand to find concrete.

She flicked her rifle back into sword form.

She unholstered her revolver, leaping forward from the wall and firing the charge of Fire Dust at point blank range into the armor. It recoiled, a gash running from top left to bottom right of it.

Its left hand swooped forward and smashed Summer in her midsection, sending her flying across the pavement. She rolled to a stop, her Aura giving out.

The armor was already upon her before she could stand. Summer turned, face up, her legs pointed towards the armor, her revolver still in her grip.

And then it turned quickly, and as it turned Summer saw the silver and gold key that hadn't been there a second ago. The key vanished in a shimmer of light.

And then Summer was being dragged.

Neo had grabbed her by the armpits and was currently doing a good job of getting her out.

"I can stand," Summer said, raising a hand to stop Neo and rising to her feet. She holstered her revolver and picked up her sword, clipping it to her belt.

As they watched, the armor slumped and fell to the keybearer's blade.

* * *

"The next day, I bought a gummi ship," Summer said. "Interworld transportation. Cid practically gave us the thing. We set off from there." She paused as the waitress stepped over and gave her a refill of coffee. "Thank you. Anyway, so after we left Traverse Town, we had no heading, which was unfortunate, so...we just flew, asking people."

"How successful was that?"

"Not very," Summer said, laughing. "We thought we had a lead over in Port Royal, but there wasn't much. We sat in on a few matches at Olympus Coliseum, but nobody'd ever heard of Remnant. We were flying out past Halloween Town when, uh, we got captured."

"You got captured," Qrow said plainly.

"By pirates," Summer added.

* * *

"Well, well," the Captain muttered. "What are you two?"

"Summer Rose, Huntress," Summer stated. A second later, she added, "And this is Neo."

"Well, Miss Rose and Miss Neo," the Captain said, raising his left arm to reveal a menacing looking hook. "This is my ship."

Summer looked around the wooden ship, sails and rigging straight out of a fairy tale. "Really," she said.

"Really," the Captain said.

"Lovely bilges," Summer said.

"Thank you," the Captain said.

Neo made a couple short signs. "Neo also likes your ship," Summer added.

The Captain nodded. "Well, my crew is pulling out anything of worth in _your_ ship. They should be finished any second now. Then, we'll take you before," and here the Captain coughed roughly and laid the sarcastic tone on thick, "the great witch Maleficent, and then we'll send you on your way."

"Fine by me," Summer said. "You wouldn't happen to have heard of a world named Remnant out there?"

"No," the Captain said.

"Captain Hook," one of the crewmates yelled. "We're...done?"

Captain Hook turned. "What'd ya get?"

"A lot of rubbish," the crewmate called back. "Not much coin at all."

"Don't touch the umbrella," another one called out, a thin line of blood trickling down his forehead.

"Well, that's that," Summer said.

"Put them below deck," Captain Hook yelled out. "Raise the anchor, set the sails for Hollow Bastion!"

* * *

They had company, as a matter of fact.

The girl was named Wendy. She was from a place called London, and she was here thanks to a impish boy named Peter Pan.

The small porthole revealed that they were still moving between worlds. But the sailors still kept to a schedule, and every morning and evening a meal was delivered to them.

Less than a week passed before they arrived at Hollow Bastion.

It looked like early evening when they arrived. Hook navigated them through a great lake toward the castle, and they eventually came to a stop, the anchor holding them fast to the ground.

"You two will be going before Maleficent," Hook said as they rowed toward a tiny stone platform in the middle of the lake. "She wants to see anyone navigating between worlds. If all goes well, you'll be on your way."

Summer quirked an eyebrow. "If all doesn't go well?"

"You'll wish I had you walk the plank," Hook said flatly.

* * *

The Bastion was certainly impressive, but ease of getting around was troublesome.

"Blast these lifts," Hook said, stepping onto one of the metal platforms. "We're almost to her meeting room."

"I'm not a fan of the walking either," Summer grumbled. She looked to Neo and nodded. Neo gave a nod back before holding up the ropes binding her wrists together. She clicked her heels together.

They stepped off onto a stone platform.

The door before them was an imposing piece of work. "Right through there," Hook said, nudging them toward the darkness.

Summer walked in.

The chapel was dimly lit and grimly decorated. No altar stood at the end, but a woman clad in black robes loomed ominously before a large table.

"Hook," she said.

"Maleficent," he replied, laying the pair's weapons onto the table. "These two were found out between Halloween Town and Neverland."

"Wonderful," Maleficent said, disregarding the two. "Hook, prepare your ship. The boy is about to arrive in Halloween Town, and you need to capture him as soon as you can."

"I'll get him," Hook replied, a tad sullen.

"And two passengers," Maleficent said.

"Of course," Hook growled. "And these two?"

"Throw them into the sea," Maleficent said, turning and stepping away from the table's front.

"If you wanted me to do that, then you shouldn't have told me to bring in any prisoners," Hook snapped, following her.

"Neo," Summer said quietly.

Maleficent and Hook had continued to talk, moving around the table to its far side. At this stage the conversation had devolved to petty jabs with only a thin veneer of a discussion.

Hook turned at last back to the pair of prisoners.

"Now," Summer yelled, raising her bound hands above her head. With a twist and a pull she snapped the ropes in two, reaching out and catching her sword as it passed above her head.

The Neo standing next to her shattered as another appeared, standing on the table and twirling an umbrella. In her off hand rested Summer's bulky revolver.

"Fools," Maleficent spat, reaching out. A massive staff materialized in her open hand, and she clasped it, a mass of energy billowing through the room and sending Neo billowing across the room.

Summer, eyes wide, grabbed Neo's hand and ran out of the room onto the massive stone lift stop.

The lifts were moving haphazardly below. Neo leapt down with Summer following, landing on a platform two floors below, which jerked to life and began to descend.

Summer looked up to see the Heartless descending along the walls. One leapt out onto the platform and she punted it off, before turning and smashing another off the lift with the wrong side of her sword. "There," she said, pointing at the ornate door to the entrance hall. She leapt, sword in hand, and managed to grab the ledge with her upper body, swinging the rest of her up onto the stone.

Neo, meanwhile, leapt and gently descended with her parasol opened, gracefully landing.

"Cheeky," Summer spat out, before gesturing to the door with her head. "After you, _madame."_

The pair ran through the entrance hall and through the massive doors at the opposite end to reach the night air.

"Shit," Summer said, looking out over the drop. "We're gonna have to go down." She crouched, picking a cartridge labelled "grav" in blocky letters out of one of her pouches and loading it into the second barrel of her revolver.

Neo gave a thumbs up and Summer took her hand, leaping off the ledge.

* * *

Summer groaned. Her entire body had gone into revolt after that last stunt. She was laying on what felt like ice — well, unusually warm ice. She flopped over onto her back and groaned again. She finally opened her eyes. It was still night. Summer sat up shakily.

Neo was a few meters away, sitting at what looked like a small entrance into the lower levels of the castle. She looked up when Summer groaned and then got to her feet after a moment.

Summer sighed. "Into the castle again, huh?"

Neo rolled her eyes and nodded, signing out "cold" and "outdoors".

"You're right," Summer said, wrapping her cloak around herself and trudging into the castle's undercroft.

It was poorly lit and rather wet; Summer kept walking into shallow puddles and the walls were thinly coated with water. Aside from the occasional drip and the distant grinding of gears, it was silent.

"I haven't told you much about myself," Summer said, glancing back at Neo. "I dunno. I don't really consider myself that interesting." Summer looked back. "But I'm gonna talk. Otherwise I'm going to go insane, 'cause it's too quiet."

Summer squinted, trying to look into the dark passage ahead. "I was an only child. My mother worked as a seamstress. She specialized in making clothes for Hunters, and so I met a lot of Hunters, and that rubbed off on me. I got a scholarship to a small combat school and eventually I worked my way into Beacon."

Neo tapped the side of her hand to Summer's shoulder to get her attention. In the dim light, she pointed at her mismatched eyes. With a blink, they changed color to a gleaming silver.

"Ah," Summer said. "Now that? That's a longer story. I _was_ sworn to secrecy on it, too, but...given the sorts of shit we've seen, it's not exactly going to make a difference. So I'll tell you."

* * *

It was the twilight hours, and Summer Rose didn't know why Professor Ozpin had called her into his office. So she was fidgeting nervously in the elevator.

The doors slid open audibly and Summer stepped into a large office with a distinct clockwork motif. The man himself, Professor Ozpin, was standing at a massive window that appeared to be the face of a clock. He gave a halfway glance back to Summer and returned to looking out the window. "Miss Rose," he said simply. "Over here, if you wouldn't mind?"

"Right," Summer said, walking around the desk to stand next to Ozpin at the window.

"I'm usually working during this hour," Ozpin said, "so I miss the sunset. Today is a rare day I get to enjoy it. Besides, nobody enjoys stuffy meetings, and me sitting at my desk and you sitting across from me is the definition of a stuffy meeting." He looked at Summer. "How's your team?"

"They're a handful, but they're fine," Summer said. "Qrow's hellbent on bugging Raven at all hours of the day, and combined with Tai's constant romantic overtures, she's been fighting a two-front war." Summer grinned. "Of course, the Rose Brigade is always nearby to knock some sense into the boys."

"Well, that's good to hear," Ozpin said. A faint smile crept across his face. "Being a team leader is a heavy responsibility, and I'm glad that you've taken to it well." With his left hand he gestured back to the window. "What do you think of when you look at the sunset?"

"Home, mostly," Summer said. "I used to watch the sunset from a nearby clock tower. Some of the other kids joined in, too. Every so often we'd pool together our money and buy some ice cream bars and eat them. It always melted too quickly and our fingers would get sticky."

"I think of people I've lost," Ozpin said. "An old legend says that dusk is the time when the spirits of the dead are closest to our world."

"I've never heard that one."

"It's a bit of an old bit of folklore. I've always been fascinated with things like that," Ozpin said. "What's your favorite fairy tale?"

"That's a tough one," Summer said. "I don't have a real favorite, but if I had to pick, I'd have to say the Witch of the Red Mountain."

Ozpin's eyebrows rose. "That's a rather gloomy one. Then again, a lot of old Atlesian stories are. Ah, I do have something else that might interest you. It's another fairy tale." He drew in a deep breath, preparing his voice. "When I was reviewing your application, your eyes fascinated me. Silver eyes are an extraordinarily rare trait, as a matter of fact, and there was actually a legend that I dug up concerning a tribe of warriors with silver eyes."

Summer scoffed slightly. "Did it end with them all dying?"

Ozpin laughed. "Well, actually, the saga does end with the dissolvement of the tribe. But it is strange that you should have silver eyes and that you would choose to become a Huntress, because these silver-eyed warriors are where we get the term for Hunters."

"Funny coincidence."

"The thing is," Ozpin said, his tone going directly from playful to serious immediately. He paused and stepped away from the window, picking up a mug off of his desk and drinking deeply. "There's another thing about these silver-eyed warriors you should know." He looked Summer in the eye. "Silver eyes are an indication of an incredible power. The ancient warriors could kill a Grimm with magic. Not Aura, not Semblances, not Dust. Outright magic."

Summer folded her arms. "You're pulling my leg," she said.

"Not in the slightest," Ozpin said. "The world you know conceals another one. I would like to initiate you into a select group: those who work in the shadows to serve the world." He paused. "There are those who would seek the destruction of all we hold dear. Their machinations have borne fruit, most recently at Mountain Glenn."

"The Grimm attack was from a poorly designed and constructed segment of the defensive perimeter," Summer recited. "Investigations into the defenses turned up a shocking amount of negligence due to a lack of funding."

"A plausible cover-up," Ozpin said. "The Grimm, in fact, emerged from within the city. Specifically, the Merlot Industries complex. The investigation into their largest shareholders and parent company turned up little more than fake names and an empty warehouse, respectively." Ozpin slid a hand under his desk and flicked a small hidden switch. A segment of the wall slid open to reveal a barebones elevator, with a steel grate door. Ozpin strode across the room, beckoning Summer to follow. Ozpin slid open the grate and they entered, Summer taking care to shut it behind her.

Ozpin threw a large switch and the elevator lurched and began to descend.

Summer quirked an eyebrow. "Where does _this_ go?"

"Beneath Beacon," Ozpin said.

"And what's beneath Beacon?"

"An old friend described it as hell," Ozpin said.

"And you're the ferryman," Summer said dryly.

"He was actually referring to how cold it was," Ozpin said. "I was just trying to scare you. I apologize for the wait, by the way. This old elevator can't be modified as easily and openly as the others, so it has a particular...pace."

"I noticed how slow it was going," Summer observed.

Ozpin sighed. "Seen any good films recently?" But before Summer could respond, the elevator ground to a stop.

The girl folded her arms. "We're here?"

"We're here." Ozpin slid the door open and they stepped into a large, dimly lit antechamber with a massive door facing them. "This is the Beacon Vault. Completely and totally secure. If a high-grade Dust bomb like the ones used on the edges of Mountain Glenn were to be used on the campus right this moment, then we would be safe. If someone wanted the contents of this vault, they would need to contend with a fiendishly designed vault door, custom built by the finest vault maker in all of Atlas. And before you ask, there are seismic sensors to inform us of any tunnels made nearby."

"What's inside?"

"Artifacts," Ozpin said, dialing in a combination to the first of what looked like three locks. " _Most_ of them are relatively harmless."

"Most of them?"

"Don't touch anything before I tell you to," Ozpin clarified. He spun the massive central handle and opened the vault. "We're going to do a little test."

Summer wasn't quite sure what she had expected. It was a massive room, with probably hundreds of different plain wooden boxes stacked neatly on shelves, and each had a distinct designation.

"Grab that crowbar," Ozpin directed, motioning toward a workbench with a variety of tools. Summer did so and then Ozpin beckoned her to continue following him down one of the aisles. "We're here for sword, to be specific a particular blade used by the first Silver-Eyed Warrior."

"And what do you think it will do?"

"React," Ozpin said, stopping at a massive box. He fished a key out of his pocket and undid the massive padlock. Summer passed him the crowbar and he roughly took out four nails from the box.

He opened the box. There, laying in a sea of packing peanuts, was a longsword still in its worn leather sheath.

Ozpin gingerly lifted the sword out of the box and drew it, showing it to Summer. It was a plain longsword, with little embellishment and, from what she could tell, no Dust or built-in gun giving it anything aside from a cutting edge.

"This sword's name has been lost to the ages," Ozpin said. "In truth, it belongs in a museum. The issue is, it has a peculiar reaction to people with silver eyes." He held it out for Summer to take. "Try it."

Summer took the sword in hand. As she did so, a faint chill went up her spine and the blade, very faintly, began to glow.

"This is no trick," Ozpin said.

Summer exhaled a couple times. "What does this mean?"

"You have silver eyes," Ozpin said, grimly. "And that power will lead you through endless conflict. That is the curse of the silver eyes."

* * *

"It was true," Summer said, gravely.

She had, after a while, stopped walking. They had come to an intersection in a slightly better lit area of the catacombs. "I didn't know why I tended to encounter more Grimm than my classmates, even from initiation. And I became extraordinarily good at Grimm extermination, even without my eyes."

Neo frowned. With parasol in hand, she signed out both "family" and "love" before repeatedly signing a question mark.

"My father died not long after I graduated," Summer said, sighing. "My mother followed a few years later. I guess I have a husband? Had? I don't even know how long it's been."

Footsteps sounded around the corner.

Summer's eyes widened, and she ducked behind a large pipe running into the ground.

She glanced out. A young boy approached. Summer guessed he was about the age of the boy with the Keyblade back in Traverse Town.

Summer saw Neo hiding behind a different hunk of machinery. They exchanged nods.

As the boy passed, he suddenly found two blades directed at his body. From the look of him, Summer guessed he wasn't very fashion forward, from his weird massive shoes and waders to his odd, two-tone sleeveless shirt with what looked like a pair of straps crossing his chest.

"Don't move," Summer said.

The boy remained still, looking at Summer. Her own blade was against his throat, while Neo's was jabbing into his back just enough where it hadn't broken through, but he could likely feel it.

"Put your hands where my eyes can see," Summer barked. The boy slowly complied, raising his hands to the level of his head.

The boy slowly turned his head to look at Summer. "Who are you?"

"You're not exactly in a position to be asking questions," Summer said. "Where's our ship?"

The boy carefully shifted his body around, looking between Summer and Neo. He looked back at Summer with a glare set firmly on his face.

Summer's eyes widened. She leapt somewhat clumsily backwards as a black sword shaped like a bat's wing materialized in the boy's hand, its blade stretching out to where her head had been. The boy pivoted and redirected his sword to slam the tip of Neo's parasol away.

The boy barely turned around in time to block Summer's slash. Their blades locked.

The boy struggled to keep his footing. Summer pressed on, both hands on her sword, pushing the boy backward. She stepped forward, giving his blade a push to send him off balance. As she did so, she slid her leg around his and threw him to the ground, his sword clattering uselessly to the side.

As his hand searched for his blade, Neo placed a foot on his wrist. Summer kicked the sword well out of reach.

"Wrong move," Summer said. "That was a neat trick summoning it like that, but your form is sloppy."

Neo slid her full blade out of her parasol for the boy to see. She twirled it a couple times before holding it right above the boy's heart.

He sagged.

"I'll ask again," Summer said. "Our ship."

"The postern," the boy ground out.

"Directions," Summer said.

"It's the right hallway," he said, gesturing toward the intersection.

"If we meet again, you won't be lucky," Summer said. She looked up at Neo, who merely rolled her eyes and took the blade off the boy's chest. "Come on."

The took off down the right hallway. After a long while and a couple bends, they finally saw daylight.

There on the postern was their ship, looking somewhat the worse for wear. It was open and the pair quickly climbed aboard, rushing to the cockpit.

"Get her ready for takeoff," Summer said, leaping into the co-pilot's seat. She began to flick switches. "Engines nominal. Flight computer online. Just getting destination coordinates for the nearest world."

Neo grabbed the controls and they took off, immediately ascending.

"We've got Heartless," Summer said, checking the primitive radar screen. She clambored out of her seat and down a ladder into the ball turret.

Behind them, several dragon-like Heartless had taken flight and were quickly pursuing.

Summer plucked the radio headset from its resting place and roughly set it on her head. "We've got about a dozen Heartless," Summer called out. "Weapon systems hot, opening fire!"

The turret let out a stream of projectiles into the flock, breaking it apart and sending a few back to the surface.

"Engage the boosters," Summer called out. Almost immediately, she was shoved forward against her controls. She righted herself and began to fire again, picking off as many Heartless as she could.

Eventually, the last pursuing Heartless peeled off back toward their roost. Soon, the familiar glow of the lanes between worlds surrounded her.

"We're clear," Summer said, exhausted. "Neo, set the autopilot for the nearest world and turn on the automatic defense system. I think we both need some sleep."

* * *

"So," Qrow said lowly. "Where did you end up next?"

"A delightful place," Summer said. "Well, actually, we had set the autopilot for any world, and the nearest world reading actually didn't look that, uh...inviting."

Neo signed out something that looked like a whirlpool.

"Yeah, sort of like a vortex or or something." Summer leaned forward, hands clasped. "We wound up deciding not to land, and a few hours later its reading disappeared completely. Some sort of space oddity, or something."

"And then where did you go?"

"Castle Oblivion," Summer said.

* * *

"Now," Summer observed, " _that_ is a big door."

It was true: the massive double doors to the twisted-looking castle dwarfed the pair. Summer folded one arm across her chest, touching her chin with her other hand.

"Push, I suppose," Summer said, walking up to it and settling in for a struggle.

The door gave remarkably easy, and swung open enough for the pair to enter.

"That is some entrance," Summer said, raising her hand to shield her eyes from the blindingly white room. "Do you think they knew how to paint a room?"

Neo shook her head.

The hall was massive but sparse. At the opposite end of the room was a short set of stairs leading up to a landing with a fairly oversized set of double doors leading into the castle.

Summer drew in a deep breath and called out, "Anybody home?!"

Nobody responded.

Summer strode through the white central "path" that seemed to be designed on the floor up to the set of stairs at the far end of the room. But as soon as her foot landed on the first step, the door slammed open.

A man clad in a dark cloak stepped out. He had bright red hair drawn into borderline dangerous looking spikes. He paused to look at the pair, his face blank.

"Well, well," he said dryly. "Now _you're_ unexpected."

Summer sighed. "Where exactly are we?"

"Castle Oblivion," the man responded. "The second...well, former secondary headquarters for the Organization." He barked out a laugh that could have easily passed for a real one. "I'm not sure who you are, however."

Summer looked up at the ceiling. "Well, I suppose you can call us travellers," she answered.

"There's not much here," the man said. "I was actually just leaving." He began to step down the stairs.

Summer frowned slightly. From his tone, it sounded like he expected her to say, "Ah, us too." She turned away, giving a hidden short hand sign to Neo to prepare her weapon.

"Well, I don't suppose it would hurt to take a look around," Summer said, finally stepping up onto the landing. She reached out toward the door.

"As a matter of fact," the man began, "It would." At once he was back on the landing with her. In his hand was a massive metal chakram with several spikes jutting out, one against her neck. Summer glanced over to see the other half of the pair in his other hand.

"So," Summer grumbled. "Neat trick. They're much too large to be hidden in your coat. Are they collapsible?"

"It's basic summoning magic," the man said.

Neo suddenly appeared beside the pair, her thin parasol blade extended from the tip and poking into the man's own neck.

"We have reached an impasse," Summer declared, resting her left hand on her hip and shifting her stance slightly.

In one motion with her left hand, she drew her revolver from the holster on her back and fired behind her back at the man, her right hand reaching out and unsheathing her sword in such a manner to slash at the man.

He was incredibly quick, leaping backwards down the stairs and nailing the landing.

Summer ran down the stairs. Her sword unfurled into its rifle configuration and she began pushing him backwards until he was taking cover behind one of the large pillars flanking the room.

At once, Summer felt a disturbance in the air above her. She leapt out of the way as the man descended from what seemed to be a splotch of pure darkness. As he landed, he tossed his chakrams in each direction.

Neo's parasol opened to shield her from his attack. Summer narrowly dived under his attack, before firing into his shin.

She heard a sharp hiss before the man dashed back into cover.

She ran, loading her rifle. As the man came into view, she saw him disappear into another dark portal.

And then from behind her, someone clapped slowly.

"Well done," another man said. This one had a deeper, heavier voice. At Summer's tense look, he merely said, "I can assure you, you are quite safe now. I mean you no harm, and that man has already departed for sanctuary."

The man was tall and wrapped in shrouds, robes, and belts. Summer wondered if he had any sort of fashion sense.

"I am known as DiZ," the man proclaimed.

Summer sheathed her sword. "So, did your parents hate you?"

The man laughed. "No, I'm afraid it's a name of my own choosing."

"So you hate yourself," Summer concluded. "Who was that man?"

DiZ nodded. "He was a member of the Organization, a group that held power until very recently. Several hours ago, to be precise."

"And who are they?"

"A loathsome group," DiZ said. "A coalition of 'Nobodies'. They lack hearts. Until very recently, there were thirteen among their number. Thanks to the interference of a Keyblade wielder, they have been reduced to a mere eight."

"Well," Summer said. "What exactly do they do?"

"They farm hearts," DiZ replied, carefully. "They go to worlds and release Heartless, spreading and harvesting them. Untold lives have been lost to their machinations. They lack sympathy or empathy, and they are single-mindedly devoted to this task."

Summer grimaced, a sick feeling rising in her stomach at the offhanded mention of genocide. She swallowed and spoke. "I assume they're pretty powerful."

"You assume correctly. They are all capable fighters. You have seen this yourself. Axel, the man you chased off, is not the most dangerous among their number."

Summer smirked. "So, how can we help? What's the plan?"

"We wait," DiZ said. "The Keyblade's wielder is slumbering. It will take a year for him to awaken. But in that time we must prepare to crush the Organization in one fell swoop."

Summer Rose smirked. "I know a few who could help. If you'd help me find my home, then perhaps we could bolster our forces."

"It can be done," DiZ said. "There is a King in this castle, and no, it is not _his_ castle. But I happen to remember that he has a pair of talented navigators in his employ."

Summer flipped her hood up. "Let's ride," she declared. After a moment she muttered, "I thought that would be cooler than it was."

* * *

"And here we are," Summer said. "I need Hunters to help us defeat the Organization. To be specific, I'd like to reassemble the team."

"Why start with me?"

"Gotta get the hard ones first," Summer said, leaning back and finishing her juice. "And you're out here in search of your sister."

"It's not just that," Qrow said. "I'm here for a lot of reasons."

"The question is, will you join me," Summer said. "I'm getting the band back together, man!"

"I have unfinished business," Qrow said.

"Then let's finish it," Summer said. "We have ten months. First, we're going to deal with whatever it is you have to deal with here. Second, we're going to grab Raven and Tai. Third, we're going to set the universe right."

"Wonderful plan," Qrow said sarcastically. "Waitress? Check, please."


	2. Chapter 2

Haven Academy was barren.

"I've been here a couple times," Summer said, kicking a rock across the quad. "On business at least once, Vytal Festival at least once. Never this empty. Still, _apparently_ it's been more than ten years."

"I was about to ask about that," Qrow said. "Did you age?"

"It's something about the Realm of Darkness," Summer said. "Making it out here from Traverse Town didn't take three months. _You've_ aged, Qrow."

"I've aged _just fine,"_ Qrow grumbled, clearly miffed. He nodded at Neo. "What about her?"

Summer spun. "Eh?"

"How long was she in the darkness?"

Neo signed out a long series of gestures.

"She went past two castles, a tropical island, uh, a forest or two, may have been the same forest, several stretches of barren rocky terrain, and then the beach," Summer translated out. "She didn't ever need to sleep or eat, and there weren't days. There were a lot of monsters." She looked around. "Why is it so empty, anyway?"

Qrow grumbled, fingering the lid of his flask. "Lionheart, with all his wisdom, decided to send everyone out on missions. Region was 'unstable.' As if leaving the Relic near-unguarded wasn't exactly what Salem wanted."

"We have another member of the party, by the way," Summer said, glancing at her Scroll. "He'll be arriving shortly."

At once, a large ship soared into view, emerging from a distant forest. It accelerated at a rapid clip, before coming to a rest above the quad and descending. Its engines wound down and a ramp descended.

"You sure took your time," a young man dressed in a dark cloak called out. His hair was silvery, but as he emerged from the underbelly of the ship the light gave it a bluer hue.

"Qrow Branwen, may I introduce Riku," Summer said plainly. "Riku here is, well, he's one of our allies. Even for his age, he's a skilled swordsman, and he's got a couple of other tricks up his sleeve."

"Nice to meet you, kid," Qrow said gruffly. He extended his hand out for a handshake.

Riku took it and shook it wordlessly. "Summer. This is the man you wanted to find?"

"It is," Summer said. "Qrow here isn't exactly the best socialite, but he's an expert in covert reconnaissance and he's good in a fight, too."

"I'm not just good," Qrow said, giving her a tiny shove.

"He's alright," Summer said in a faux-whisper. She reverted to a standard tone. "Anyway. Riku's...I want to say, 'on-loan.' It's not completely accurate, but the deal are that, while DiZ is handling Sora, Riku is with us."

"Wonderful," Qrow said.

"Neo," Summer said. "Take the _Blackjack,_ park it under the cover of trees — but keep it nearby. I'd like to have it on hand. Less than three minutes, if possible."

Neo nodded, disappearing into the ship.

"So, as for the other thing," Summer said. "She's around here, right?"

"Yeah," Qrow sighed. "We've got a couple rooms in the eastern dorms. Listen, if you don't want to do this—"

"It's fine," Summer said. "We can't exactly keep this up, so may as well...get it over with."

* * *

The eastern dorm building was as barren of people as the quad had been, and they also looked hastily abandoned and it seemed like the cleaning crew was on leave, too. Qrow lead them up to the second floor and knocked thrice at a particular door.

After a moment, a young man with blonde hair emerged, first poking his head and shoulders out before shuffling out into the hallway. "Hey, Qrow," he said softly in the silence of the dorms. "How goes, uh...things? You didn't exactly leave a note, or whatever."

"I had to meet an old friend," Qrow said, his own voice low to match Jaune. "This is her and one of her friends. Uh, this is Jaune Arc."

"Hey," Jaune said, extending a hand for a handshake that didn't quite know where to go.

Riku took it and shook. "I'm Riku."

Summer took it, and Jaune finally took a good look at her. At his widening eyes, she silently pressed a finger to her lips.

"Y-you're..."

"Hush up," Qrow said. "Is everyone in there?"

"Yeah," Jaune said. "Uh, we're playing a card game, just the four of us."

"I'd hate to ruin the fun," Summer said quietly. She squared her shoulders. "Okay, let's do this."

Qrow opened the door, and Jaune strode in in front of him.

It was fairly lavish, by dorm standards — there was a psudeo-living room that was separated from a tiny kitchen with a bar with seats for three. To the left was a bathroom and a closet, and to the right, two doors led to bedrooms. True to Jaune's word, Ruby and what must have been two of her friends, one a dark-haired boy and the other a redheaded girl, were sitting at a coffee table with cards strewn about it.

"Good news, everyone," Qrow said, stepping through the door. "Last night I received a message from an old friend who's been away for a long time — and for good reason, according to what she's said. I told her about the situation here, and she's willing to help out, with a couple of friends of hers." Summer could her him deflate, a deep sigh coming from his lungs. "Don't be shocked."

Ruby chimed in, "Why would we be shocked?"

Qrow grumbled, "You'll see."

Summer drew in a deep breath, blinked past tears, and strode into the room.

It was dead silent. Ruby slowly and shakily rose to her feet.

"M-mom?"

Summer attempted to smile gently and then began to cry. Ruby mirrored her in terms of the crying, and stumbled forward. Summer quickly stepped forth and embraced her daughter "I'm home," she said.

"Welcome home," Qrow said.

Summer wrapped Ruby in her billowing white cloak and pulled her over to sit on the couch together. "Hello," she said. "You must be Ruby's friends. I'm Summer Rose."

"I'm Ren, and this is Nora," the boy said. "Uh, it's good to meet you, Miss Rose."

"It's good to meet you, too," Summer replied. "Ah, that's Riku," she said, nodding toward the boy in the dark cloak who was standing at the bar.

"So wait," Nora said. "I thought you were _dead."_

"It's a long story." Summer looked to the crying mess of a girl in her arms. "How are you doing, hon?"

"I'm fine," Ruby said, wiping tears from her eyes. "I just...never thought..."

"Mhm," Summer mumbled, drawing her daughter closer. "I heard you got into Beacon."

"I did," Ruby gushed. "A-and I'm on a team, and we're great, and Yang's on it too, and a couple of other girls who are also amazing."

"You'll have to tell me about all your adventures," Summer said, a playful tone in her voice.

"Hold on," Ruby said, peering over at Riku. "What kind of sword is that?"

Riku looked bashfully at the sword poking out from underneath his cloak. He drew it in the fluorescent light and presented it out to Ruby, who slinked away to look in awe at the dark blade. "It's called the Soul Eater."

"Whoa," Ruby said. "...it's not really sharp, unless you count this other end of the blade, though."

"It's magic," Riku said, smiling.

"Ooooh," Ruby said, lifting the sword out of Riku's hand. "I took Longsword Proficiency at Signal for a year, but I traded it out for my scythe when I began training with them."

"You should see a Keyblade," Riku said.

Ruby's eyes widened and she yelled, "Is that...a blade that looks like a key?"

"As a matter of fact, it is," Summer said from the couch. "We've had a run-in before."

"Oh please tell me all about it," Ruby said, stepping forward with twice accelerated speed. "Can it unlock things? Does it make cool sounds?"

"Yes, it can unlock things," Riku said darkly.

"Ruby," Summer said gently. "I have something I need to show you." She shifted around and slipped her revolver out of its holster, presenting it to Ruby. "I...didn't ever get to give you this."

Ruby gasped gently. "Incredible," she said, taking it and examining it over and over. "It's old, but well-maintained. The cylinder is a custom design, because the center chamber fires a different caliber of round, activated by the second trigger. If I had to guess, you'd have something like a shotgun shell in this center chamber?" At Summer's nod, Ruby continued. "The hammer has been redesigned for easier working. The handle is high-quality wood, and it's not a standard grip, either. Every part of this gun has been expertly crafted and customized." Ruby looked up. "What's her name?"

"It's the Thorn," Summer said. "And one day it'll be yours."

"Wow," Ruby said, starstruck. "Family heirloom." She paused, turning over the revolver in her hand. "But it's...too old, you must have inherited it too."

"You got it quickly," Summer said. "As a matter of fact, I got it from my mother."

* * *

Summer Rose heard the balcony door open and shut gently. She imagined that standing there, leaning against the railing, she looked pretty moody.

"Tomorrow's the big day."

"Yeah," Summer said. "Beacon Academy. I'm gonna be gone a while, mom. You gonna be able to handle things here?"

The elder Rose laughed. "That's not what I'm worried about. I've got...something for you."

Summer took the package her mother presented her with. It was wrapped in brown paper and tied with twine. As she unwrapped it, a layer of cloth revealed itself, and beneath that was a gun in a holster.

"A revolver," Summer said, drawing it.

"This was my revolver." Summer's mother smiled. "And it was my father's revolver. This gun has seen thousands of battles. And it's your birthright. In carrying this revolver, you carry with it all the Rose family's pride."

* * *

"Wow," Ruby said.

"In time, it will be yours," Summer said. "But I have unfinished business."

Ruby frowned. "With who? Salem?"

"Ah," Summer said. "I'll tell you soon enough." At once, her scroll dinged. "Ah, the other member of our party is here." At once, they heard the sound of the nearby stairwell door closing.

Neo opened the door suddenly, waving hello.

Ruby's eyes widened, leaping into action and plucking her scythe from the breakfast bar. "You!" she yelled, her weapon extending into rifle mode.

Neo's eyes widened and she spun her umbrella to face Ruby, extending the shield just as Crescent Rose fired. Ruby yelled incoherently and sped forward with her Semblance, shoving Neo back into the hall.

Summer stood tall as the rest of Ruby's group from Beacon looked around. "Riku," she said. "On my mark, grab Neo, bring her back to this room."

In the hallway, Neo had been put on defense as a berserk Ruby slashed repeatedly at her.

Summer slid forward just behind Ruby.

"Now!"

At once, inky darkness and a black cloak enveloped Neo, just as Summer delivered a series of strikes to disarm Ruby and pin her against the floor.

"What are you doing?"

"She helped Roman Torchwick," Ruby yelled. "She helped destroy Beacon!"

"Over the last few months, she's helped me innumerable times," Summer grunted out. "She's an ally now. Calm down!"

Ruby writhed as Summer brought more weight down on her. After a moment, she ceased, breathing roughly. "Fine," Ruby said, scowling. "I don't trust her."

"Save it," Summer said, rising. "From what Qrow's told me, she's the least of your issues."

Neo awkwardly emerged from the room, offering a hand to help Ruby up. Ruby reluctantly took it and rose to her feet.

Neo looked at Ruby and then Summer and then signed out a long sentence.

"What did she say?"

"It's all in the past. She doesn't remember you," Summer said finally.

"Listen," Qrow said as the trio returned to the room. "I have a couple of contacts I need to talk to. They're gonna lead us to where Raven has been encamped over the winter. Now, knowing them, and trust me, I know them, they'll be packing up for the warmer months, but it'll take a few more weeks before they start moving."

"You've said they're a tribe," Ren said, "how hard would they be to track once they start moving?"

"Shockingly hard," Qrow said. He grabbed his sword and clipped it into place. "Summer, you're in charge." He shut the door behind him.

"Right," Summer said. "What do you kids wanna do?"

Nora raised a hand. "Does asking what happened to you count as doing something?"

"Well," Summer said. "I suppose. It all starts, well, about ten years ago now..."

* * *

The knock sounded in the dead of night.

Summer was laying on the bed, Scroll in hand, flicking through the local Haven Academy webpages.

The most bizarre part was her still-somehow-functioning Scroll was once again receiving local network signal from the nearby CCT. It was groaning at her to update every bit of software, too, but she pondered if the hardware needed to be revamped, too.

Summer sighed as a second round of knocks sounded.

Jaune poked his head into the smaller bedroom. "Hey, there's someone at the—"

"You can open it, it's probably Qrow," Summer said. "I'm gonna sleep. Keep it down."

"You, uh, have a good night," Jaune said with a half-hearted wave. He softly shut the door and Summer could hear him shuffle off. There was the unfamiliar voice of someone — she suspected it was whoever had gotten Qrow home after a long night of drinking. Then there was Qrow, sounding too silly and stupid for his own good.

Summer silently slipped small earbuds into her ears and set her Scroll to make its way through her entire music library. She slipped under the covers and shut her eyes too-tightly.

"Hey," Jaune's voice floated through a crack in the door. "Uh, sorry to wake you, but, uh, you'd better come out here."

"Urgh," Summer responded, tossing aside her covers. She stumbled out into the light of the central room.

"Hello, Mrs. Rose," an all-too-familiar voice sounded. It was coming from a shorter boy with tanned skin and rough hands, but she suspected there was something else underneath his plain farm boy exterior.

"Hello, stranger," Summer said, roughly sitting on one of the couches. "And who might you be?"

"I am Professor Ozpin," the boy said.

"I thought I recognized your eyes," Summer said. "So, you're looking younger."

"I see your time away hasn't dulled your wit," Ozpin said. "Has it dulled your skill?"

"Not at all," Summer said. "Has Qrow filled you in?"

"Very roughly, but yes," Ozpin said. "You seek to gather Huntsmen to combat a malignant group whose goals involve the destruction of life across the universe, or so Qrow said."

"I was drunk, it was a rough summary," Qrow called out.

"Very rough, but yes," Summer said. "If at all possible, I would like to organize a team. Specifically, I would like to organize my old team, STRQ."

The Ozpin-boy frowned. "I'm afraid with the situation here in Mistral so unstable—"

"I understand," Summer said, cutting him off. "We have a year until the Keyblade wielder awakens, and if possible, I'd be willing to aid in the stabilization of this region and then put my team together."

Ozpin quirked one of the boy's eyebrows. "The Keyblade?"

"Indeed," Summer said.

"Very dangerous forces are at work, if a Keyblade is involved," Ozpin said. "But it's good to have you back, Miss— er, Mrs. Rose. While Qrow will be out recruiting local Huntsmen, I was wondering if you could help me get everyone else into fighting shape." The boy gestured to himself. "Including Oscar here, of course."

"I don't see why not," Summer said. "I'm not exactly a licensed teacher, though."

"Better than nothing," Qrow said from the kitchen, refilling a glass of water. The instant it was mostly full, he chugged it down in a matter of seconds and began to fill it again. "We need as many trained Huntsmen as we can muster. And, well, you're a great deal better than 'trained.'"

"That I am," Summer said, smirking. "Riku and Neo aren't slouches in a fight, either, but I'll get everyone up to spec." She gave a thumbs up. "How much time do we have?"

"Not much." Ozpin rose to his feet. "Normal classes are scheduled to resume in a matter of weeks — just over four weeks, to be precise."

"We have another problem," Riku said from the corner. Summer hadn't noticed him enter, but his face was set in a deep grimace. "Someone else just arrived."

Summer tensed up. "Who?"

Riku folded his arms and shut his eyes. "An Organization member," he concluded.

"Right," she said, rushing into her room and throwing her bag onto the bed. She called out, "Riku, can you make one of those portals?"

"I can, but they're not that stable," he said, moving to the entrance of her room.

"Ah-ha," Summer said, pulling out a black longcoat to match Riku's. She tossed her white cloak aside and put the coat on.

"Why the coat?" Jaune asked.

"Exposure to darkness isn't very good for the heart," Riku said, opening a dark portal. "These coats are designed to protect us from it."

"Ready," Summer said, loading a large cartridge into her revolver.

The pair stepped through.

Summer found bile rising in her throat as she trudged through the darkness.

"Only a little further," Riku said, the sound of his voice off from mouth movements by a fraction of a second. She could see his eyes burning, and he blinked away tears. They continued on for a few moments before Riku raised his hand and a gleaming portal materialized, and they stepped through.

"I don't enjoy that," Summer said, stumbling out of the portal into the forest. She caught herself against a tree and exhaled. It was nighttime, and the thick forest cover hindered the moonlight, rendering it particularly dark. Summer blinked a couple times to adjust to the darkness.

"I have no plan," she began. "We may have to kill him." Her Scroll chimed, and she checked it. "Also, there's a pack of Grimm in the area," she sighed.

"Is that bad?"

"Not for me," Summer said. "Probably not for you, and probably not for our friend. Still, stay cautious."

At once they heard the sound of Grimm snarling and growling, heavy footfalls moving to the east. "He's that way," Riku said.

"Right," Summer said.

They began to move through the dark woods.

At the edge of a clearing Summer stopped, holding a hand out for Riku to stop.

In the clearing were a half dozen Grimm corpses at varying states of decay, many of them hacked open or cleaved in half. Amidst the carnage was a lone figure in a dark cloak.

"The Keyblade," Riku said, pointing out his sword.

The figure turned, sighing.

"He's just a kid," Summer said in a hushed tone. "Okay, Riku, here's what you're gonna do. You're gonna go back and wait for my message on your — well, actually, you don't have one, so on Neo's Scroll. I'll tell you if I need bailing out. I'm gonna talk to him, see what he's up to."

"Your coat," Riku pointed out.

"Right," Summer said, taking it off and handing it to him. She stood tall, preparing herself as Riku slinked off into the darkness.

The boy in the cloak spun around as she audibly entered the clearing.

"Evening," Summer said, stepping forward. "This your handiwork?"

"Uh, yeah," the boy said, dispelling the Keyblade.

"Good work," Summer said, smiling and pulling out her Scroll. She flicked through various menus before putting it away. "You wanna grab a drink, maybe a bite to eat?"

"Uh, sure," the boy said hesitantly.

"I just called in an airlift back into the city," Summer said. "There's gotta be at least one diner open this late."

At once the distant sound of engines began to grow louder. A Bullhead with green and white markings flew into view and came to a stop above them, and Summer waved it in.

The two boarded the transport. Summer sat down and strapped herself in, and the boy followed suit.

Summer watched him carefully, her hand gently tapping the hilt of her sword as the Bullhead ascended and headed back into the city. He was busy looking at some comms equipment that the Bullhead was carrying.

They spent the trip in silence.

Summer glanced out the window. They were back in Mistral.

The Bullhead prepared to settle down at a small airport. It descended smoothly and the engines shut down. Summer unfastened her seatbelt and the boy followed as she disembarked.

The pilot waved at them from the refueling station he was preparing. Summer returned the wave.

The pair exited the airport, wandering the commercial district. Most everyone was shutting down for the night, but Summer found a small diner with a bright neon sign proclaiming it to be open.

"This way," Summer said, gesturing to the door.

Inside the diner, a scant few customers were eating at the central bar, and a lone man was stationed in a booth in the furthest corner.

A woman wearing a worn blue dress sighed and said, "Sit wherever you'd like."

Summer did so, selecting a tucked away booth. The boy slid in across from her, and the waitress followed shortly to take their drink orders.

"Decaf coffee," Summer said.

"Uh...the same," the boy said.

The waitress departed, leaving the two in silence.

"I'd recommend the pancakes," Summer said.

The boy quirked an eyebrow. "Who are you?"

Summer smiled and tilted her head. "I'm Summer Rose, fully licensed Huntress. You can just call me Summer, if you'd like. Yourself?"

"Roxas," the boy said.

"Right," Summer said. "I'll remember it. So, Roxas, what brings you to Mistral?"

"N-nothing especially," Roxas said.

Summer smirked and leaned forward. "Is it a girl?"

"No," Roxas loudly proclaimed.

The waitress returned, depositing two mugs with hot coffee along with a dish filled with tiny plastic canisters of cream on the table. "What would you like to order?"

"I'll have the breakfast sandwich deluxe," Summer said, passing the menus to the waitress. "He's having the pancake breakfast plate with bacon."

"It'll be right out," the waitress said, jotting the order down and walking away.

"So, it's not a girl," Summer said, looking back at Roxas, who was eyeing his coffee suspiciously. Summer passed him a couple packets of sugar and a canister of cream. "Put these in there and give it a stir."

"Right," Roxas said. He tore open the sugar packets and spilled a fair bit on the table, getting most of it in his drink, before pouring the cream and stirring it with a spoon. He sipped it, almost immediately drawing back. "It's bitter."

"It's supposed to be," Summer said, pouring cream into her own coffee. "How old are you?"

Roxas shuffled awkwardly. "I'm not really sure," he admitted. "I don't have any memories before about sixty days ago."

"You've been keeping track, huh?"

"It's all I've got," Roxas said.

The waitress came back, a pair of plates in her hands. On Roxas's plate was a neatly stacked pile of pancakes, a dab of butter sitting atop them, with a few strips of bacon on the side along with hash browns. On Summer's was a large sandwich with scrambled eggs, a heap of ham, and at least two slices of melted cheese all pressed together underneath two slices of sourdough bread and sliced cleanly in half diagonally, another heap of hash browns sitting beside it. Between the both of their dishes, it smelled like home.

"So," Summer said, picking up half of her sandwich and taking a large bite, chewing for a while. "This is a tasty sandwich. How's the pancakes?"

"Two seconds," Roxas said, pouring a bit too much maple syrup onto the stack. He cut off a chunk and took a bite. "It's good."

"Let's talk about your employment," Summer said.

"Employment?"

"The Organization."

Roxas's eyes widened. His entire body tensed slightly.

Summer smiled gently at him and put both her hands on the table. "Listen," she began. "First off, relax. I'm not gonna hurt you, you're not gonna hurt me, we're gonna sit here and eat and talk."

"Yeah," Roxas said, hesitantly returning to his pancakes.

"Now," Summer said. "You're employed with the Organization, I happen to represent those opposing the Organization. I'd like to extend an offer."

Roxas's frown deepened. "Offer?"

"Employment," Summer said. "And security. Remnant is a large place, it would be hard to find you, and someone with your skills is never in want of a job here. You could be licensed as a Hunter in a matter of months, to be frank." She took another bite of her sandwich, swallowing it and taking another. "What is keeping you with the Organization?"

"I have friends," Roxas said.

Summer took a deep breath. "If you can persuade them, I can offer them the same amenities," she offered. She pulled a small notebook from her pouch and tore out a page, scrawling on it. "Listen, okay? Take some time and think it over. Here's my number. You can find a public phone or ask for someone's Scroll anywhere on the continent and you'll hopefully be able to reach me."

Roxas sighed and took the note. "I just don't know," he began.

"The Organization isn't your ally," Summer warned, picking up the second half of her sandwich. "What happens when they're done with you?"

"I don't know," Roxas said.

Summer sighed, taking a large bite. "You're not in a situation with a lot of certainty here, buddy." She sighed. "Just keep this off your mission report and keep that number. You're a good kid, okay?"

* * *

Summer sighed as she strode through the streets.

"Did it go well?"

She looked up at Riku, who was leaning against a lamppost. Neo had accompanied him, and she was seemingly dressed in traditional Mistralian garb.

"Not really," Summer said. "I tried to convince him to join us, but he has friends." Summer paused. "Hold up."

"Something wrong?"

"DiZ said Nobodies are incapable of having feelings," Summer began. "Can a Nobody feel friendship?"

"Not sure," Riku said. "Most of the ones I met wanted to kill me."

"And that was before you stole their laundry," Summer joked. The grin slid off her face. "There's something strange going on here. Things aren't adding up."

Neo signed something out quickly.

"Yes, and the Organization has their own plans for Remnant," Summer said, smiling again despite the situation. "Issue is, we already have an overlord working from the shadows to destroy all of us. I'm just not sure we could take two."


	3. Chapter 3

By the time Summer returned, it was very deep into the night. Ozpin and his host had evidently retired, and Qrow was sitting in the common area, sprawled on the couch, his eyes shut. "How did it go?"

"It was...interesting," Summer said. "So. I think we need to talk."

Qrow grunted and opened one eye. "About?"

"Your sister, mostly," Summer said.

"Great. Talking about Raven. My favorite," Qrow said sarcastically, shutting both eyes tightly. "What do you want to know?"

"Weaponry. If her fighting style has changed, and how it has," Summer listed. After a moment, she added, "When was the last time you saw her?"

"A couple weeks ago," Qrow supplied. "She refused to answer my questions and we both got pissed and she left via portal."

"It still takes a slice to open one, right?"

"Yeah," Qrow said. "Aside from that I'd expect her usual swordplay. Why do you ask?"

"Listen," Summer said. "We're going to be attacking Raven as soon as we can. Ruby told me you were assembling some Hunters, is that right?"

"Yes and no," Qrow grumbled. "Yes, I've been trying to contact some local Hunters. But unfortunately, it seems as if they've all gone MIA at the same time."

Summer's eyes widened and then narrowed. "That's highly unlikely."

Qrow opened his eye again. "Unusual."

Summer nodded at him. "Undeniably."

Qrow let out a short bark of a laugh. "Do you smell a rat?"

"I do," Summer said. "It _reeks."_

"Then you're not alone," Qrow said. "I knew these guys. None of them were what you would call 'pushovers'."

"Someone leaked out their mission data," Summer said.

Qrow grunted. "Lionheart's not following orders. Complete radio silence and erratic behavior. The school was _emptied_ of people when we got here."

"That's not protocol," Summer said. "Protocol is a skeleton staff to hold the school, not one man." She paused. "Are you suggesting that he's been double-dealing? And with that diabolical bitch?"

"He's not exactly the sort of person that embodies integrity," Qrow stated. "How are you dealing with this Organization?"

"We're working on it," Summer said. "I don't know how the Grimm would react to Heartless, though. That would be an interesting experiment."

"Hold on," Riku said. "Can you explain your whole thing to me again?"

"It's simple," Summer said. "Long ago, four Relics were scattered through the realm, each governing a facet of sentient life. The Grimm's leader, a...woman, kinda, by the name of Salem, has been in pursuit of these Relics since time immemorial."

Qrow coughed. "You forgot to explain the Brothers."

"No, I didn't, because the Tale of the Two Brothers isn't necessarily what I believe," Summer explained. "Here's what I was taught: long ago, Gods lived in this realm, and one day, they engaged in all out war. When they saw the destruction they had wrought, they created a new realm for themselves and left this one, and when they left, their departure made the Relics." She clapped. "Anyway, the Relics are supposed to be guarded by a Maiden, and there are four of those, who are the only ones able to unlock the sealed gates underneath each Huntsman Academy where each Relic rests."

"And several years ago the Spring Maiden, who can unlock the vault beneath this academy, went missing, and we think my sister Raven might have found her," Qrow concluded.

"Right," Riku said, thinking. "And what would Salem do if she had these Relics?"

"Considering the Grimm like to kill, I would guess that she would use their powers to destroy all life," Qrow said.

"Right," Riku said.

"Last year, she effectively overran Beacon Academy with the help of the White Fang, and now White Fang have been mobilized in the area," Qrow said. "We have 'intercepted' transmissions from Specialist Winter Schnee to thank for that bit of intel."

"Atlas communications were always difficult to crack," Summer said warily. "How did you...?"

"Working for Ozpin has its perks," Qrow said, sitting up finally. "Ironwood overhauled their communications network a few years back, had his engineers insert a backdoor for us. It's come in handy at times."

"Great," Summer said, clapping. "So Atlas is still operating in the area?"

"They extracted their men yesterday," Qrow said. "They're shutting their borders." He opened his eyes and lifted his head up.

Summer folded her arms. "Back to Raven, then."

Qrow sighed. "Listen, you and Oz, or Oscar, or _whatever,_ you're the only fighters I've been able to wrangle. And the kid's not a fighter."

"Don't forget my crew," Summer said. "Listen, we're not going to have a better chance. Apparently every freelance Hunter is dead and all the state-funded ones are out, possibly dead as well. I'm suggesting we march into camp, give Raven a show of force, and then negotiate."

"Easier said than done," Qrow grumbled. "I highly doubt Raven wants to see me, much less you." He paused. "Actually, she doesn't even know you're alive, but I think she'd still rather not see you."

* * *

It was well before dawn and already the entire crew was on the move through the forest.

Jaune cleared his throat. "Why are we out in the middle of the forest so early?"

"Good question, Arc," Summer said. "The answer is that we're going to be seeing Qrow's sister."

"I more meant we, like, the Beacon students," Jaune said. "Isn't this lady, like, a hyper-deadly murderous bandit, trained in a dozen ways to kill us?"

"She is," Summer said.

"So why are we here?"

Summer shrugged. "If she's hungry, mostly. She prefers fresh kids to frozen."

Jaune stopped dead.

"That was a joke," Qrow called out. "Relax. You're here for strength in numbers, or whatever."

"That's exactly correct," Summer said.

Oscar cleared his throat. "Why am _I_ here?"

Qrow grunted roughly. "Because we might need the information you have. Or Ozpin has. Something like that." He shrugged. "And we don't want to leave anyone alone, much less you. It takes seconds for Ozpin to take over, right? If an assassin catches you at a bad moment, those seconds could be life or death."

Summer looked ahead to the girl at the lead of the pack. "Speaking of, how much further, Neo?"

Neo held up three fingers.

Summer huffed. "What, three miles? Three kilometers, three steps?"

Neo sighed and took three steps forward, pushing aside a large bush to reveal the gummi ship.

"Well," Summer said, with a sigh. She gestured to the landing ramp. "All aboard, please." The group slowly filed into the ship, and dispersed around the hold.

Ruby raised her hand. "So what exactly is the plan?"

"Go through the front gate, maybe fight some folks," Summer said, unsheathing her sword and loading it. "Probably fight some folks."

"Definitely fighting," Qrow said, examining his sword. He gestured to Summer and himself. "We'll be taking point, we just need you to stay back and support however you feel necessary.

"Neo," Summer ordered, "let's ride."

* * *

"Lower," Qrow urged, leaning forward against the pilot's chair.

"We can't get any lower," Summer said. "We're about to clip the trees."

The ship shook roughly as it impacted a particularly tall tree.

"Careful," Ruby yelled from the radar station.

"I told you so," Summer said.

"She — Raven — could have lookouts," Qrow said. "We want the element of surprise here."

"Almost there," Summer said, glancing at her displays. "Neo, put her down!"

Neo's right hand shot out in a rude gesture as she brought the ship to a very rough landing in what was now a slightly larger clearing.

"Wonderful," Qrow said.

"Neo, keep her ready to launch. Everyone else: Mount up," Summer said, grabbing her white cape. "We're moving."

* * *

Raven's camp was ominously empty. Its tents and structures showed signs of a large fight, save for the corpses that typically told of a long battle.

Summer paused as she walked past the barricades. "What in the devil happened here?"

"Something terrible," Ren said, surveying the damage to one of the nearby tents. "Grimm."

"No," Riku said.

Summer coughed slightly. "Heartless?"

"Yes," Riku said, folding his arms and examining a larger tent. Its canvas bore a series of large gashes at chest height. "Not small ones, either."

"Raven," Qrow said, looking at the largest tent, a massive slash through the broader wall. "She wouldn't have fled."

A figure dropped into the middle of their circle, clad in red and black and a fearsome white mask. Ready in her hand was a large sword and at her hip was its oversized sheath.

"Guess again."

The moment her feet were on the ground she was rearing back to strike at Qrow. Half on instinct, Summer quickly raised her own blade to intercept the strike..The two swords collided with a thunderous clash.

Everyone scattered, forming a loose perimeter around the pair.

Raven stepped back a moment. "You?"

"Me," Summer said, retreating to a safer range. "Long time, Raven."

Raven's reply was to sheathe her sword, spinning the sheath's chamber to select another blade.

"You're obviously not in a good mood," Summer said, her off hand wrapping around the hilt of her sword.

Raven drew a searing hot blade from her sheath.

"That looks like it could hurt," Summer said.

"It will," Raven replied, voice cold and emotionless. She stepped forward.

Summer sighed. "I don't want to do this," she concluded, raising her blade.

Raven stepped forward with a massive slice and Summer locked blades with her before shoving Raven backwards, knocking her off balance. Raven stumbled back and Summer took the offensive with an overhead swing. Raven stumbled out of the way and leapt backwards before charging again.

Summer swiftly dodged, her off hand going to her revolver. She spun around and shot Raven — or more specifically, her blade — with a blast of ice Dust. Summer brought her blade down across Raven's. The red-hot blade shattered. Then, before Raven could resheathe her sword, Summer pressed her own blade against Raven's neck.

"Don't move," Summer said. "We're not looking for a fight. Not with you."

" _You_ came here," Raven said.

Qrow stepped forward. "What happened?"

"Beasts," Raven said. "Not Grimm."

"They killed everyone?"

"Almost," Raven said.

"A handful were out on assignment," Qrow guessed. At Raven's nod, he continued. "And you're waiting for them to return."

Summer nodded. "Any other survivors?"

"The prisoner," Raven said, gesturing to a gaping hole in the wall. "She used the attack to escape."

Summer glanced to Qrow and mouthed "Maiden?"

Qrow let out a near-silent "Maybe." He slowly slinked away to examine it, Oscar following him.

Summer looked back to Raven. "We know who did this."

Raven slowly set her sword's hilt into the sheath, raising her hands above her head before removing her mask. "Tell me," she said.

"The Organization," Summer said, slowly drawing away from Raven before sheathing her sword. "They're a plague. They invade worlds covertly and use beasts called Heartless to farm the people of each world for their hearts."

Raven tilted her head.

"She's telling the truth," Riku said. "I've fought them before."

It was at that moment a new voice interrupted the discussion.

"What in the — moms?!"

Summer turned, hand on her sword. She paused. "Yang?"

"Yang," Raven said flatly.

"Yang," Ruby shouted.

"We need to move," Raven said, looking past Yang to the bruised and battered tribe members following her.

The blonde man in front piped up. "Boss, where's the rest of the tribe?" At Raven's glare, he shrunk.

Yang looked between Raven and Summer and Qrow and Ruby. "What's happening?"

Raven strode past Yang. "All of you, we're moving to the second camp. There will be food and supplies there. Take only what you need." The bandits scurried away. She looked back at Summer. "If what you've said is true, the Organization and the Heartless could be dangerous."

"Join us," Summer said, reaching out a hand.

"No," Raven said. She drew her sword into a strike and a portal opened. Her few bandits assembled behind her. "See you, Summer."

With that, Raven stepped through the portal.

"Well," Summer said, watching as the bandits leapt in after her and the portal winked shut. "That could have gone better."

Yang cleared her throat. "Mom?"

"Hi, honey," Summer said with a wave.

Yang looked sideways at her. "Uh, what the hell's happening?"

"It's a long story," Summer said. Her Scroll chimed and she quickly opened it, holding it to her ear.

"Who is it?" Ruby asked.

"Neo," Summer whispered.

Jaune's eyes widened. "She's talking?"

"No," Summer said, still whispering. "She's tapping on the screen. Very loudly, I might add. That's our code; she's being held up." She hung up and put her Scroll away.

"Who could it be?" Nora asked.

Qrow stepped back over. "Raven left, huh?"

"One at a time," Summer said. "I'm not sure who in the hell is in the middle of the woods near a bandit camp at the break of dawn but I can assure you it's not good. And yes, Raven left, and to my understanding that's what you were expecting all along, Qrow."

"Won't say 'I told you so,'" Qrow said, mockingly surrendering.

"But you're going to think it. A lot," Summer grumbled. "We need to get back to the ship."

* * *

They gathered around the landing ramp.

Summer raised her hand and they huddled in tight.

"I'm going in alone," Summer said, reloading the second chamber of her revolver. "If whoever has Neo hostage sees too many people, it could get bloody."

"Careful," Qrow said. "There could be more than one."

"Don't worry," Summer said, "it's _me."_

Qrow rolled his eyes. "If you need us, we'll be ready."

Summer nodded, glancing up the ramp. She exhaled and strode up into the hold.

There were no signs of struggle. Neo was sitting on the shoddy bench at the card table that one of the ship's former owners, an apparent gambler, had determined to install.

Standing at the second mate's console was a girl with long white hair, clad in a tattered dress, holding onto an assault rifle.

"So," the girl said. " _You're_ her boss."

"I suppose," Summer said. "I'm captain of the _Blackjack—"_

"Your weapons," the girl said nervously, raising the rifle to bear.

Summer hesitantly complied in silence, setting her sword and pistol onto the floor of the hold. "Better?"

"Yes," the girl said.

"Now," Summer said. "Relax. We're not here to hurt you."

"Then what _are_ you here for?" The girl gestured to Neo with her head. "Because I _know_ she's worked with the White Fang in the past." The girl's finger curled around the trigger. "And I know the White Fang is moving in on Haven."

"That's actually, uh, well, funny," Summer said. "See, I'm a Huntress. And I'm currently staying at Haven because the White Fang and associates have been moving into the area."

"Really," the girl said sarcastically.

Summer motioned to the pouch at her waist. "I'm going to give you my license," she said, slowly reaching in and plucking out a card before handing it off to the girl.

The girl read it, eyes widening. "Wait, you're...? Do you know a Ruby Rose?"

"Yes," Summer said hesitantly. "She's my daughter."

"I'm Weiss Schnee," the girl explained, sighing in relief. "I'm her partner."

Summer's eyes widened. "You...and her?" She made a vaguely lewd gesture.

"We were paired together in initiation at Beacon," Weiss explained quickly. "We're not..."

"Oh," Summer said, laughing. "Uh, yeah. Sorry."

* * *

"You're awfully quiet," Qrow commented to Summer as they wandered back through Haven to the dorm. He pulled her slightly aside and lowered his voice. "What's going on?"

"I'm thinking things over," Summer said, expression and tone level. "Raven's obnoxiously stubborn."

"That's not new," Qrow said.

"I didn't expect her to be an _idiot_ about this," Summer said, irritation rising in her voice. "Salem's still looking for the Spring Maiden. Raven's a stubborn ass, but..."

"Tch. You know as well as anyone that my sister can hold a grudge for a long, long time," Qrow growled.

Summer traced a long, thin, nearly faded scar that ran down the side of her face. "Yeah," she muttered. She nodded a couple times. "We may have to fight her. Like, an actual to-the-death fight."

"I'm fine with that," Qrow grumbled. "What's the plan?"

"Fortify here," Summer said.

* * *

It was three days later.

Summer Rose was hunched over a workshop table, a pair of oversized goggles over her eyes and her arms up to the elbow in massive rubber gloves. In her hands was a small container packed with Dust, a blasting cap fixed firmly to the end.

"Excuse me," someone said from behind her.

"Yeah," Summer said, turning around and pulling her goggles off her eyes.

It was Weiss Schnee, clad in what Summer recognized as one of Ruby's spare outfits, a pair of jeans and an oversized T-shirt from a concert.

"I have a bit of a problem," Weiss said plainly. "When I was captured...wait, is that a bomb?"

"It is."

"Why do you have a bomb?"

"Don't worry about it," Summer said, setting the bomb on the workbench. "You were saying?"

"My weapon was confiscated," Weiss concluded. "I'm not sure if the ruffian who had it survived, and I'm in need of another weapon."

"Right," Summer said, tossing her gloves aside. She clapped. "This reminds me, follow me."

They exited the workshop building onto the grounds.

"Tell me about your old weapon," Summer said as they walked.

"It was an SDC prototype, Model-two-oh-seven," Weiss explained. "Development codename Myrtenaster, deemed too expensive for mass production and deployment — too many moving parts — and ultimately scrapped save for a handful of models." She paused and held up two hands to indicate a length. "It was a rapier this long with a set of six revolving Dust chambers built into the hilt."

"Hmm," Summer said. "Not too complicated. Why ask me?"

"Ruby's uncle said I should."

"I mean, I _helped_ with his weapon," Summer said. "And did a bit of work on Raven's, I think. But neither of them were really my design. Did you have a picture of the weapon?

"Yes," Weiss said, opening her Scroll, flicking through menus before passing it to Summer.

"I can see why Qrow pointed you to me," Summer said, looking at the photo. "See, that chamber reminds me a lot of Raven's sword. She used to carry a basic katana, see. After a lot of sparring, she figured that she'd need to use Dust in some capacity. Initially she wanted a sheath that would infuse Dust into the blade on the fly, but it was too much stress on the metal, so at the end of the day we went with a design where we'd have multiple blades of different types in a larger sheath. Wider options and such."

"Huh," Weiss said. "I'm not too familiar with weapon design."

"It's a complicated art," Summer said. "Some schools require students to build their own, but usually that means a lot of kids are going to be using shitty swords for a couple years until they earn enough to get an actual smith to design their own thing."

Weiss quirked an eyebrow. "And Ruby's Crescent Rose?"

"It's the most complicated weapon I've ever seen for one so young," Summer said. "My weapon, to be frank, is just a sword and a rifle fused together." She stopped at the entrance to the dorm and opened the door for Weiss. "After you."

"Thank you."

"As for your weapon," Summer said as they walked back to the room. "I think I could make something like it." She opened the door to the dorm.

Riku and Ruby were sitting at the table, playing a strategic board game.

"Riku," Summer said. "Come on, we need to do something."

Ruby looked up. "What are you doing?"

"Making weapons," Summer said with a gentle smile. "Wanna help?"

"Yes," Ruby said, jumping up.

Riku, still seated, folded his arms. "Why do I need a new weapon?"

"Because you stand out too much with your weird fleshy bat wing sword," Summer replied.

Riku grimaced and stood.

Ruby looked over at Weiss and back to Summer. "Oh, yeah, Weiss lost her sword, right?"

"She did," Summer said, turning and walking back to the exit. They all followed.

"Ooh," Ruby said. "You could use a lance, like a knight, and have a huge, poofy dress with armor!"

Weiss looked to Summer for help.

"I think she may just want another rapier," Summer said to Ruby. "Did you need a new outfit, though?"

Weiss looked down at her clothes. "I _do,"_ she relented. "Not a big dress, though."

"Riku, your style is close enough to feudal Mistralian swordplay," Summer said. "I've already got a couple ideas."

Ruby's eyes lit up. "Ooh, something like Gambol Shroud?"

Summer chuckled. "Which one is that?"

"It's Blake's," Weiss said solemnly. "She...hasn't been seen since the Fall of Beacon."

"Oh," Summer muttered. "I'm sorry."

"We think she might have run away," Ruby said. "You can't spell 'RWBY' without 'B', though. That'd be, like, 'roo-ey.' And that's just not a good team name!"

Weiss snorted.

"It isn't," Summer said, nodding gravely.

Weiss looked up at the workshop they'd just left. "Back here?"

"Well, yeah," Summer said.

The weapon forge had been shut down. Summer threw a series of switches and the forge began to breathe and light up. "Ruby, ignite the forge, if you would," she said. "Let's get to work, everyone. Weiss, we're gonna make you the best sword known to man. Riku, we're gonna make you a, uh, normal sword."

* * *

Two weeks of forging later, they were complete.

"This is it," Summer said, tossing her gloves aside and picking up the blade. She took her goggles off. "Now, _that's_ what I call a sword."

"It's beautiful," Ruby said.

"Madame," Summer said, turning to Weiss, now clad in a loose approximation of her old outfit. "I present you with the finest sword I have ever made. Perfectly balanced and to your exact specifications." Summer presented the blade to Weiss, mockingly bowing.

"Thank you," Weiss said, taking it and clipping it to her belt.

Ruby grabbed the second sword, a simple single-edge straight sword, and slid it into its sheath, presenting it to Riku. "Here you go," she said, holding it out for him to take. Riku did so, drawing the sword slowly and examining the blade. He gave it a few light swings and replaced it in its sheath.

"It's a nice sword," he said.

"I should hope so," Summer said.

"That's the power of the smithing technique passed down the Rose family for generations," Ruby yelled.

"Anyway." Summer grabbed a large packed satchel from the table and stuffed her gloves into it before slinging it over her shoulders. She slid her safety goggles back over her eyes. "Go, uh, practice with your new weapons. Spar or whatever."

Ruby tilted her head. "Where are you going?"

"See ya," Summer said, walking out.

* * *

Summer opened the door to the dorm a couple hours later.

Qrow looked up from his drink in the corner. "Where have _you_ been?"

"Nowhere," Summer said, tossing a near-empty satchel aside. "How goes things here?"

"Nora and Yang nearly broke a table arm wrestling," Qrow stated.

Summer looked at the brand new dents and scuffs in the table. "That's nice."

"It was a racket," Qrow grumbled.

"We weren't much better, you know. Raven and I got into a lot of fights," Summer said.

Qrow stared blankly at Summer. "You got in fights with _each other."_ He sighed. "You get dinner yet?"

"Nope," Summer said, trudging over to the kitchen and grabbing out bread and meat and assembling a quick sandwich. "How goes the other stuff?"

Qrow slammed down the rest of his drink. "Still nothing on _any_ Hunters operating in the area."

"As expected," Summer said, scarfing down her quick meal. "Whoever's been hunting the Hunters has been thorough."

Qrow swirled the dregs at the bottom of his glass in silence. On the other side of the room, his Scroll rang.


	4. Chapter 4

The group stood before Haven's main hall. It was past sundown and all the lamps around the campus were lit brightly. The moon hung full overhead, glaring down on them.

"I thought you said the Headmaster said this was just a meeting," Ruby said. "Why is everyone here? And why did you ask me to bring Crescent Rose?"

Summer, clad in the Organization's cloak with the zipper open, loaded her revolver. She holstered it. "Because sometimes meetings don't mean meetings."

"Oh," Ruby said, double checking her ammunition. "So, is the Headmaster...?"

"We—I'm not sure," Oscar said. "Ozpin knew this man for a long time, but..."

Qrow coughed. "A lot of Huntsmen have died under mysterious circumstances since the Fall. Leo is one of the few who would have had access to _all_ that data." He slid his hands into his pockets. "He's not above suspicion."

Jaune sighed. "I've got a bad feeling about this," he mumbled.

"Qrow, take the kids in the main entrance," Summer said. "Riku, Neo, and I are going up to the second floor."

"Be careful," Qrow said, turning toward the entrance.

Summer nodded at him.

In silence, her and her team walked through a side entrance. They quickly climbed a set of stairs and emerged onto the main hall's uppermost balcony.

Summer held a hand out for Riku and Neo to stop. She pulled out a detonator and passed it to Neo, quickly signing out rudimentary instructions, before looking back to what had made her stop.

A large black bird was perched atop a railing overlooking the main hall. Keeping completely silent and moving slowly, Summer brought out her sword and shifted it into the rifle configuration, zeroing in on the bird.

At once, a gunshot sounded and the bird immediately took flight.

Summer adjusted her aim and fired. The bullet lanced through the bird's wing, blowing a clean hole through it.

At once, Raven Branwen landed in human form, clutching a bloody and wounded left arm.

Summer walked up to the balcony rail, menacingly cocking her rifle.

"Nice shot," Raven said, growling and drawing her sword.

"Wait," Ruby yelled, stepping forward. "There's no need—"

Raven slashed the air to her side, carving open a portal in thin air. Almost instantly, a fireball emerged from the darkness and slammed directly into Ruby's chest. Cinder Fall stepped out of the portal, flanked by her entourage. Simultaneously, the doors behind Qrow's group slammed shut.

Hazel Rainart stood menacingly before the entrance, his expression level.

Summer's glare hardened instantly.

"The White Fang has secured the school grounds and is preparing demolition charges," he said flatly, slowly approaching. "No one's getting in, and no one's getting—"

There was suddenly a sickening crunch.

Hazel stopped his slow walk and slumped forwards slightly, his eyes going wide. And then he fell forwards onto the ground, revealing a man clad in the cloak of the Organization, clutching a still-beating heart in his hand.

"Let's play a game of chance," the man announced pleasantly. "The stakes: your lives." He carelessly tossed the heart on the ground, where its pulsing intensified as it began to pump out a viscous black fluid.

Cinder conjured two swords. "What have you done?"

"I removed your companion's heart," the Organization member said, folding his arms. "That heart, consumed with darkness, will soon become a Heartless. And as he was about to say, you're all locked in here." He clapped. "The rules are simple. You will survive by any means possible, or you perish." He turned, quickly vanishing into a corridor of darkness that winked out of existence faster than any of them could react.

Summer looked to Hazel, who was still somehow weakly grasping for his heart even as his body began to crumble away. Within moments, he had completely vanished.

The heart sunk into the black mud it was producing.

"Parley," Summer said, yelling down to Cinder and Raven. She leapt from the balcony and landed before them. "Parley?"

Mercury cleared his throat. "I'm sorry, what?"

"A truce," Summer said, glancing back at the pool of darkness as it began to ripple. "Suffice to say, there's bad blood between your group and our group, but _right now,_ we have a common enemy."

"Wait," Jaune yelled. "What are you _doing?"_

"Zip it," Summer yelled back. "We don't have time."

A massive hand emerged from the pool, followed by a grotesque mockery of a man painted entirely in black and purple, crystalline shards running down his arms. It opened two burning yellow eyes.

"You're right," Cinder admitted, still glaring past Summer at Ruby, who was getting back on her feet with Yang's help. "What's your plan?"

"Those with long range options, keep at distance up on the balcony," Summer ordered out quickly, gesturing to where she had leapt from. "Short range, keep it pinned toward the center of the room! Tag in and out as necessary!"

"Os," Qrow said. "Take Leo, get him out of here." The boy quickly took Lionheart's wrist and led him into an antechamber.

"Emerald," Cinder said. The rest of the order didn't need to be said; Emerald backed away and followed them. Cinder, meanwhile, climbed deftly up onto the balcony, forming her swords into a large bow. "This is temporary."

"We wouldn't have it any other way," Summer said, levelling her rifle toward the Heartless. "Ready!"

The beast brandished its massive claws.

"Fire!" Summer commanded.

The Heartless was bombarded by dozens of rounds, including a grenade blast and a vicious looking arrow. It took perhaps a half step backwards before rearing back and shoulder charging Summer, who immediately flew back several meters into the wall, which visibly cracked under the force as she felt her Aura break. Yang leapt onto its back, slamming her fists into the beast and was tossed aside.

"Tagging out," Ruby said, leaping into the air with Crescent Rose's help and landing on the balcony. Jaune Arc, meanwhile, slid his sword into its sheath, which quickly expanded to become a large blade of its own. He yelled and charged, slicing the beast's massive leg open as he passed.

The Heartless plucked Qrow from the group and chucked him onto the balcony. It followed up by slamming its fist through that same section of balcony.

Summer slowly eased herself out of the impact crater and drew her revolver. She moved swiftly around the perimeter of the room, firing at the Heartless as she moved.

Ren struck at the Heartless with his weapons, the blades scarcely finding purchase, before the beast grabbed him and slammed him repeatedly into the ground before tossing him aside, the distinct shimmer of his Aura breaking as he landed.

Almost instantly, a trio of grenades impacted the Heartless's torso and exploded pink.

"Nothing's working," Jaune yelled.

It was at that moment Riku took a running leap from the balcony, the Soul Eater materializing in his ready hand to slice through the Heartless. And slice it did, carving a massive red gash through the Heartless's abdomen that began to pulse with a glowing light.

"That's what I'm talking about," Mercury said, jumping in with a leaping kick at the beast's new wound. It stumbled backwards in pain, lashing out with one of its arms and slamming Mercury back into the wall.

"Aim for the glowy red bit," Ruby yelled as loud as she could, her Semblance kicking to life as she sped into a better firing position before levelling her rifle at the weak point and firing twice. Nora hurried to move beside her and began to pelt the creature with grenades.

The beast wisened up, covering the gash with one of his forearms as the other hand moved to toss Jaune away.

"Surround it," Cinder commanded from her perch. She discarded her bow, a spear forming in her hand.

There was a moment of hesitation from all.

"You heard her," Summer yelled, looking to the Fall Maiden. "Let's pin it!"

Within an instant, the entire force encircled the beast. The Heartless turned around again and again, attempting to suss out which of them would strike first.

It was Weiss who struck first, her Semblance conjuring a massive ice shard that launched into the Heartless's leg. As it attempted to get the shard out, Riku sank his Soul Eater into the arm.

The Heartless moved the arm that had been hiding its weakness to dislodge that blade.

Ruby leapt from her position, flipping end over end in the air before sinking the tip of her scythe into that arm and pinning it to the ground.

The Heartless thrashed about helplessly as Cinder took aim.

With a simple throw, she impaled it, the end of the spear tip sinking into the floor.

Cinder snapped her fingers and the Heartless burst into flame. Its flesh melted away until the spear was all that remained. With another snap of Cinder's fingers, it, too, dissolved into ash.

Summer sighed, leaning on her sword. "So," she said, looking up at Cinder. "What now?"

"The Relic," Cinder said, the bow reforming in her hand.

"Ah," Summer said, stepping over to the statue. "And what if we say no?"

Summer felt the cold metal of a blade against the side of her throat. "You've already seen a hint of what she can do," Raven said from her left. "She's got a shot on all of you right now."

A massive thunderclap sounded around the building.

"And that's what _I_ can do," Raven said.

Summer hesitated a moment.

Cinder coldly nocked an arrow before firing it into Yang Xiao Long's shoulder. Jaune almost instantly ran over to her.

Cinder held her off hand in preparation to snap her fingers once more.

"Stop," Summer yelled, tossing her blade aside and raising her hand. "You've made your point. Everyone, put down your weapons."

"Summer," Qrow gasped from across the room.

One by one, the Beacon students and Riku set down their weapons.

"Good," Raven said. She looked at the open antechamber door. "Lionheart!"

Leonardo Lionheart emerged, followed by Emerald.

"Oz," Qrow gasped from across the room.

Cinder leapt from the balcony and landed deftly. "The Vault," she said. "Open it."

Without hesitation, Lionheart gently set a watch onto a section of the statue and it began to descend. Cinder walked past the students and Summer and stood upon the descending platform, Raven and Emerald joining her.

"Watch them," Cinder commanded to Mercury. He nodded.

"This is painfully slow," Summer said, watching the trio descend.

"I've always thought about cutting your tongue out," Raven responded, only her head still above ground.

Summer stood in silence for a moment as the three continued to descend. She looked to Mercury and then jerked her head toward the group of students. "Do you mind if I...?"

Mercury shrugged.

Summer walked over to the group gathered around Yang. She crouched down beside them. "How's she holding up?"

"Better," Jaune said, his hands over the wound. "Uh, in good news, we found out my Semblance is to give other people Aura."

"That's great," Summer said. She looked to Riku. "On my signal, drop the boy."

Riku hesitantly nodded.

"Great," Summer said, standing up. She turned to face Mercury. "She's good, by the way."

"Thanks," Mercury said sarcastically.

There was a moment of silence as Summer stood weaponless, staring down Mercury Black.

"Now," Summer called out.

The building shook. Neopolitan appeared beside her, a detonator in her hand.

Mercury looked down into the elevator shaft and then back to Summer. "What did you-"

That was as much as he got out before he was swallowed by the dark portal at his feet.

Lionheart looked to Summer. "What did you do?"

"Twelve charges of tightly packed Fire Dust," Summer said, retrieving her sword. She twirled it before shifting it into rifle form. "Neo here helped with getting into the Vault; it seems she's something of an expert on the matter. But the trap was my plan from the start."

With a creak, one of the main doors began to open.

Summer turned and fired a warning shot from her rifle. "Come out with your hands up!"

A hesitant Blake Belladonna slowly emerged from behind the door, her hands in the air.

Ruby gasped. "Blake!"

"Blake?" Summer said, lowering her rifle.

Lionheart took the opportunity, dashing toward the antechamber he'd just left. Summer fired twice, the first bullet missing him and the second grazing his Aura.

Summer was chasing him in an instant as he fled into the antechamber. He slammed the door instantly and she found he'd locked it absurdly quickly.

"Wait," Riku said. "That guy."

"Yeah," Summer said, turning and shifting her sword into rifle configuration. "Everyone, grab your weapons. Riku, open it up."

Riku held his hand out. A whirlpool of darkness opened up in the air and, almost instantly, a wide-eyed Mercury Black tumbled out of it and landed roughly face-down on the floor.

"Don't move," Summer said.

"W-wouldn't dream of it," Mercury said, trying to look up at her without moving. "I feel...cold."

"That's normal," Summer said, crouching down and examining his boots.

"What did you do?"

"Blew up your boss," Summer said, jabbing her thumb back at the smoke that had begun to waft out of the elevator shaft. "Tossed you into a Corridor of Darkness. Unpleasant place to spend any amount of time in."

Mercury quirked an eyebrow. "You killed Cinder? You sure?"

"Only one way to find out," Summer said. "Neo, rope and mask."

Neo pulled out a bundle of rope and a gas mask and tossed them to Summer, who quickly ascended the stairs and secured the rope with a tight knot around the bannister. She placed the mask over her face and began to descend.

After a minute of climbing down, she reached the bottom. It was unlit; Summer flicked on her Scroll's light and held it up to observe as she walked forward.

The vault's entrance had, unsurprisingly, lost its splendor. Much of the cave's decoration had been ruined by the destruction, and the entire back wall had been obliterated, just as Summer had figured.

Summer saw something at the edge of her vision; she turned to look at it in full light.

Raven's mask, pristine and unbroken, had been laid atop a pile of rubble to glare at her. Beside it was one of Raven's blades, embedded into stone.

"Oh, Raven," Summer sighed sarcastically. Her voice was muffled by the mask. "Never change."

She continued to wander up and down the rubble, checking for any sign of survivors. After she'd walked the length of it thrice, she turned and moved back to the rope, ascending it as quickly as she could. Before her stood the entire team, with Mercury now sitting cross-legged on the floor.

Qrow limped over. "Well?"

"Raven's still alive," Summer said. "Not sure on the other two."

"That's bad," Qrow replied. "The Relic?"

"Safe," Summer said. "I collapsed the door. We'll need to arrange for the place to be sealed off."

"Classes are probably cancelled anyway," Qrow said. "While you were down there, police found Lionheart's corpse. Grimm in his office. Police handled it, too. And they found Oz— Oscar, he's unconscious on his way to the hospital. Police are waiting outside for our statement."

"And I assume the police's presence means the campus is secured," Summer said.

"Yeah, it does," Blake interjected. "But who are you?"

"I'm Summer," she said, "uh, Rose. I'm Ruby and Yang's mom."

Blake quirked an eyebrow. "I thought you were dead."

"I get that a lot." Summer shrugged. "So you're Blake! I've heard so much about you!"

"Yeah," Blake said awkwardly. "I am."

"And your _weapon,"_ Summer said, admiring the blade in Blake's hand.

"I'm sorry," Mercury said sarcastically, looking up at the group. "Why didn't you kill me?"

"Two reasons," Summer said, crouching down to be on eye level with him. "First, information. Salem's force strength, her lieutenants, et cetera, where you think she's making her next play, those sorts of things. It would be extra helpful if you could tell us where her base itself is, too."

"Don't know that," Mercury said, slightly shrugging.

"Figures," Summer said. "The second is, well, we'll talk about that." She dusted off her coat, stood, and helped Mercury to his feet. "If you choose to run or attack, you'll get a bullet in the back. Stay close."

Mercury nodded, a confused look on his face.

Summer threw open the double doors to be greeted by a flock of police officers, some discussing amongst themselves and some taking statements from witnesses.

"You must be the one your friend there was waiting for," a man said, approaching. He was dressed in a tan longcoat and his hair was greying — combined with the slightly bushy mustache, he was the perfect image of a police chief. "I've got a lot of conflicting reports; you have a statement prepared?"

"Something like that," Summer said. "The White Fang brought along some mercenaries to try and dispatch my group here. They wound up setting off incendiary devices in the cold storage rooms underneath this building — there's likely some foundational damage — and we managed to fend them off. Suppose they heard how poorly their friends on the outside were doing, decided to cut their losses and run with the money they had."

The chief nodded. "And Professor Lionheart?"

"I suspect the White Fang had been intimidating him into silence," Summer said. "Let loose a Grimm in his room when he tried to flee."

The chief looked up at Summer. "Unusual targets for a group of — _you know,"_ he said, glancing around. "First Beacon, now Haven?"

"I'll agree, it doesn't fit," Summer said. "White Fang's supposed to be about Faunus rights, right? Why attack a Huntsman Academy?"

"Well, all that aside, thank you," the chief said, extending his hand. "Expect the force isn't going to have a fun time sorting through all the paperwork. You in town long?"

"Not sure," Summer said. "Depends on if the White Fang want to go for Vacuo or Atlas next, eh?"

The chief gave a half-bark of a laugh. "They'd have to be idiots to attack Atlas. Stuck-up military halfwits are holed up in a mountain."

Summer smirked. "Well, their choice of targets _this_ time didn't seem smart, eh?" She looked back to the group and to the police chief. "You gonna be locking down the campus for the night? Do we need to vacate?"

"Nah," the police chief said. "We've rounded up most of the Fang. You're staying on campus, then?"

"Yeah," Summer said. "Need anything else from us? It's been a long night."

"For you and me both," the chief said. "Nah. If you get anything else, drop it by us."

"Got it," Summer said, jabbing her head in the direction of the dorms. "Let's move." She dragged Mercury by his upper arm toward the buildings in the distance.

* * *

The dorms were as quiet as expected.

"This is going to be crowded," Summer said as they trudged up the stairs. "Neo, you can pick a lock, right?"

Neo rolled her eyes and nodded, quickly unlocking the dorm opposite the one they'd been using.

"Give us a moment," Summer said, pulling Mercury into the empty dorm and shutting the door. She gestured to the couch. "Please, take a seat."

Mercury sighed and took a seat.

"So. Where to begin," Summer said, sitting down in an armchair across from him. "Fun getting-to-know-you question, what did Salem offer you?"

"Jack shit," Mercury said. "I was only working for her 'cause Cinder turned out to be working for a bigger asshole."

"Well," Summer continued, "what did Cinder offer you?"

"The chance to not die bleeding from the kneecaps in the middle of the woods," Mercury said sarcastically.

"Very persuasive offer," Summer said. "Here's my counter: You work with _us_. We don't tell anyone — namely the police — about you working for Cinder, and hey, you probably won't die in the woods, bleeding from the kneecaps."

Mercury rolled up his one of the legs of his pants enough to show his prosthetic limb. "I don't _have_ kneecaps."

"Great," Summer said happily. "Then you _definitely_ won't die from bleeding out from them."

Mercury pinched his brow.

"Well," Summer said, back to serious. "The chances of survival are pretty low on either side. Even if you went back to Salem, you're the only survivor and she's going to ask the sort of questions that lead to you getting decapitated by an Ursa mid-sentence."

"Why are you offering me... _this?"_

"You've got the chops to be a Hunter," Summer said plainly. "I think, in less than a year or so, you could pass the exams and get licensed. And trust me, that's doing the same thing you'd be doing otherwise, but there's a lot less police chasing you when you're ostensibly a public servant."

"And I suppose the other option is that you turn me over to the police," Mercury said.

"I mean, yes," Summer said. "And we do need that information, so we can either get the police to grill it out of you or you can just tell us willingly and end up free. Worst case scenario, we drop you off somewhere nobody you know can find you."

Mercury sighed. "I guess I don't have much of a choice in this."

Summer waved her hand in a wishy-washy gesture. "I mean, if you're _that_ loyal..."

"I'm not."

"Great. Now, about that information..."

* * *

From the dorm's rooftop, you could see the sparkling lights of Mistral — the flickering flames of the night owls and insomniacs that kept the daytime running smoothly.

Summer's legs were dangling off of the ledge. She had donned her white cape again, hood up and wrapped tightly around her. In her hand was a bottle.

The door opened behind Summer. She didn't turn at the audible sound.

The rough, tired tones of Qrow Branwen floated through the air behind her. "You're drinking?"

"Yeah," Summer said, setting aside the half-emptied bottle.

Qrow leaned down, picking up the bottle and examining it. "This is stronger than your usual."

"Not in the mood to dilly dally," Summer said. "What do you want, Qrow?"

Qrow gave a low grunt, setting the bottle back down by Summer. "Yang wanted to talk to you."

"I know," Summer said, closing her eyes. "I've been avoiding _that_ conversation."

Qrow chuckled. "I wouldn't have said that." He became a bird and flew away.

Summer turned and looked at behind her. Yang Xiao Long was standing on the rooftop, hands awkwardly fidgeting.

"Hey," Summer said after a moment, patting the ledge beside her.

"Hey," Yang said, sitting down.

"Was never sure how to tell you about Raven," Summer said. "When'd you find out?"

"A couple months after you died," Yang said.

"It was a very rough time for all of us," Summer said. "After Raven left." She picked the bottle back up and sipped it for a second. "Your mother and I had a lot of disagreements when we were at Beacon. When I was given team leader over her, she felt it was an insult to her strength and never let that little bit of anger go." Summer took another drink. "One day, during our last year, we got in a fight."

Yang quirked an eyebrow. "A word fight?"

"Started like that. We went to swords instead," Summer said. "She was stronger. I fought dirty."

"Who won?"

"I did. I destroyed her sword." Summer looked up at the moon. "It was an heirloom, passed down through the years. It marked her as the leader of the Branwens. From that day, she hated me." Summer finished the bottle. "After we graduated, I didn't talk to the rest of my team for two years."

Yang did some quick mental calculations. "Until I was born," she concluded.

"Until your mother left," Summer corrected. "I was in Atlas; it was the coldest winter I've ever been through, living alone in a too-large apartment with no decorations. Your uncle Qrow called me. Within the week, I made it back to Patch." Summer slightly curled into herself. "Those years, raising you, raising Ruby, those were the best years of my life."

Yang looked down to the dorm's entrance and back to Summer. "What was the mission?"

"Hmm?"

"The mission you went on and never came back from?"

Summer laughed. "That's a longer story." She looked to Yang. "This stays between us. Not even Qrow is to know, got it?" At Yang's nod, Summer continued. "See, Salem's presence isn't just the thugs from the White Fang or the lieutenants who serve her or the Headmasters she intimidates. It goes deeper. And one of those things Salem had her hands in was a Dust mining operation that, from what I've researched, is now owned by the SDC. There was a massive shipment moving from Vale to Atlas that would bolster her local terrorists. It reeked of a trap." Summer looked down. "And I took the bait."

* * *

It was pouring rain, but Summer had thankfully packed a poncho. Her white cloak was stored in her backpack, along with all the supplies she'd need to travel back to Vale. She stepped forward to the edge of the cliff, looking down at the train track below

"The train is less than a minute away," Ozpin said through her earpiece.

"Right," Summer said, quickly double checking the rounds in her rifle. She slid it back into its sheath and drew her revolver, loading a charge of Gravity Dust into its second barrel.

The train came into view, its bulky gunmetal exterior moving swiftly through the red leaves. "Make sure it doesn't reach the docks."

"It won't," Summer said before leaping from the cliff. She fired the Gravity Dust to keep her afloat a second longer and the train slid under her just before she landed roughly atop it, immediately grabbing ahold of a pipe to prevent herself from being thrown off.

"I'm on," she said into her earpiece, quickly finding the top hatch to the car and throwing it open. She climbed down into the train car easily.

It was completely empty, save for the pair standing before her. One was a man, large and imposing in an olive green coat, and the other was a slender girl with long red hair, dressed in all black.

"Hazel Rainart," Summer said, pointing at the larger of the two with her sword. She moved it to the second. "And you must be Amarantha Crimson."

"Salem's newest," Ozpin said through Summer's earpiece. "This is likely her initiation trial to be inducted into the inner circle."

"And you're the silver-eyed girl," Amarantha said, pulling out a longsword that quickly unfurled to reveal that it was, in fact, a massive sword shaped like a butcher knife, taller than the girl. She gave a too-wide grin that set Summer on edge.

"Nobody needs to die today," Hazel said. "Surrender now or there will be trouble."

Summer smiled sweetly. "I'm touched, really." Her face fell instantly back into a grim expression as she tossed her poncho aside. "But I think you and I both know the ending to this."

Hazel stepped back and Amarantha stepped forward, the end of her massive blade dragging along the ground. Summer raised her eyebrows, looking down at the blade and then looking up at the girl's petite figure.

Summer shot first with her rifle; Amarantha turned and raised her sword to block the bullets.

Summer was on her in an instant, kicking the bulk of metal aside slightly and shooting the girl point blank with her revolver. The girl responded by shoving Summer away with the flat of her blade. The redhead pushed the offensive, the massive blade seemingly weightless in her hand as she swung it over and over.

Summer blocked each strike as it came with her own sword, ducking under a too-high horizontal sweep and sidestepping a vertical slash before slashing at the girl. Her Aura took the brunt of the hit and she was shoved back; she retaliated by slamming the back of the blade into Summer. Just one good hit was enough, and Summer felt her Aura falter and break as she stepped back.

"Nice sword. What's its name?" Summer said sarcastically, rearing back into a defensive stance.

"Bloodedge," Amarantha said, twirling the blade around. "Want to find out why?"

Hazel stood at the far end of the train car in silence, near where the car was hooked to the locomotive. Summer surmised his role was to observe the girl and, if necessary, ensure Summer's defeat.

Amarantha charged. Summer fired a shot into her stomach as she approached, the bullet causing her Aura to flare into visibility. Summer sidestepped the vertical slash and the sword tore a gash in the side of the train car.

With the girl's sword embedded in the metal, Summer slashed at her. Amarantha's Aura broke. She pulled her sword out and stumbled back.

Summer knew their next exchange would determine the result. She inhaled.

Amarantha took a couple steps back, bringing her sword around. "Perish, now," she growled out. She leapt into the air with an overhead swing, tearing open another gash in the train car. She came down with the force of a train and stopped abruptly, a wave rolling through her body from her stomach. Her sword fell to the ground; her eyes went wide.

She hung impaled on Summer's outstretched blade.

After a moment, she ceased to struggle.

With a heave, Summer swung her sword and the body flew clear, slamming against the train car's wall.

Hazel grunted and looked up at Summer.

Summer pointed her sword at him again. "Finally ready?"

"Not quite," Hazel said, rolling up his sleeves and producing a jet-black crystal before slamming it into his arm.

He rushed forward with impossible speed, his hand outstretched and wrapping around Summer's neck as he lifted. His other arm made a motion as if he were ripping something — and indeed, where he had torn the air was an unnatural black gash.

Summer's eyes widened as he brought her around before burying her in the darkness.

* * *

"Wow," Yang said.

"Yeah," Summer said. "I still can't believe she named her sword 'Bloodedge'."

"I mean wow to the other stuff," Yang said.

"Well, yeah," Summer said, checking her Scroll. "It's late. We should probably get some sleep."

"Yeah," Yang said, standing up. She reached down with her prosthetic limb to help her mother up.

"Thanks," Summer said, taking it and standing up. "Uh, I'm...sorry about trying to kill your birth mother."

Yang gave her a thin, awkward smile. "I'm not sure what to say to that."


End file.
